Colorado Democrats Topple Establishment in Major Upset

How did a man who spent years in the shadows of the state’s political elite become the governor-elect, while a relative unknown from the Eastern Sierra toppled a decades-long incumbent in Congress?

The answer isn’t just about charisma or campaign finance. It’s about a fundamental shift in how Colorado Democrats define themselves. The establishment is gone. The moderates are losing. And the people who won this cycle didn’t just run for office — they ran against the old guard.

Phil Weiser didn’t just win the Democratic primary for governor. He knocked off Michael Bennet, a three-term senator who had never lost a race in Colorado. Weiser came from nowhere in the polls to pull off what can only be described as a seismic upset. But if you look closely at the results, the victory feels almost inevitable now. It mirrors the shockwave in the 1st Congressional District, where 29-year-old Melat Kiros defeated 29-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette.

Kiros, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, beat the "stayer" who had held the seat for decades. DeGette was safe, quiet, and entrenched. Kiros was a fighter who came from nowhere.

"It was inevitable/not inevitable in nearly the same way," says political analyst Mike Littwin. "That will be the national story — that Colorado has joined New York in beating a progressive Democrat with a self-proclaimed socialist."

The pattern holds across the state. In the legislative races, progressives are taking down moderates. Even John Hickenlooper, the ultimate establishment player, saw his return to the Senate feel less like a blowout and more like a narrow escape against an overmatched progressive opponent, Julie Gonzales. Hickenlooper and Bennet were once a tandem, Bennet served as Hickenlooper’s chief of staff; but Hickenlooper has clearly outlasted him in the public’s eye.

So what does this mean for the folks around here? It means the center of gravity in Colorado politics has shifted. We are no longer just a "bright blue" state. We are a moderately blue state, and the politicians who win here now have to be fighters, not just survivors.

"Weiser’s campaign was about bringing the fight to Donald Trump," Littwin notes. "The person who could position himself as being better able to protect Colorado from Trump would win."

Bennet raged against Trump, but he also blamed Democrats. Weiser positioned himself as the shield. Meanwhile, Kiros wasn’t just running for office; she was running against the weak-kneed Democratic establishment in Washington. She was a comer. DeGette was a stayer.

The question is whether this progressive wave can hold. Republicans, who lost the middle and went full-on MAGA, lost the state. They seem in no position to find their way back. But the new guard in Colorado is different. They aren’t just moderates with better marketing. They are ideological fighters.

Lauren Boebert, who immediately labeled Kiros a "communist" in an interview with 9News’ Kyle Clark, sees the threat. The rest of the GOP sees the same thing. But for now, the narrative is set: Colorado has changed.

"The data backs that up," Littwin says. "The people who won this cycle didn’t just run for office - they ran against the old guard."

The future remains uncertain if this new breed of politician can govern as well as they fought. But as of this week, the map has been redrawn.