Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, delivering a major upset over one of the state’s most prominent Democrats.

Bennet’s loss comes as several longtime Democratic incumbents across the country have faced increasingly competitive primary challenges this election cycle.

The Associated Press projected Weiser as the race’s winner less than an hour after polls closed, leading with 55% of the vote.

The gubernatorial primary pitted two well-known Democrats against each other — Weiser, an attorney general who served since 2019, and Bennet, who has held his seat in the Senate since 2009 — in a race to replace term-limited Gov. Jared Polis.

Bennet’s campaign for governor had several advantages, including statewide name recognition, his 17 years in the Senate and the endorsements from Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Democratic Reps. Jason Crow, Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen. Bennet also mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

Weiser cast himself as the stronger opponent of President Donald Trump, pointing to his record as Colorado’s attorney general. Weiser was backed by other notable Democrats including former Gov. Roy Romer and former Rep. Ed Perlmutter. Weiser has sued the Trump administration over 66 times and, according to a review by The Colorado Sun, Weiser’s cases have partially or fully blocked the president’s policies in at least 36 cases. He also criticized Bennet for voting to confirm eight of Trump’s Cabinet members.

Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002, positioning Weiser as the early favorite in November.

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