Colorado primaries: Democratic incumbents battle progressive challengers in congressional races
This version of Colorado Primary Elections Senate Governor House Live Updates Rcna352414 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
Sen. John Hickenlooper fended off a challenge from state Sen. Julie Gonzales and will win his primary, NBC News projects.
What to know
- COLORADO ELECTIONS: Voters cast ballots in Colorado Tuesday in the primary elections for governor, the Senate and more. Polls closed at 9 p.m. ET.
- DEMOCRATIC BATTLE: After two Democratic House members lost primaries in New York last week, another one is under threat in Colorado: Diana DeGette faces a challenge from democratic socialist Melat Kiros, with vote batches still rolling in. Sen. John Hickenlooper also faced a primary challenge from the left, but NBC News projects he will advance to the general election in November.
- GOVERNOR'S RACE: The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, included two other major elected officials: Sen. Michael Bennet and state Attorney General Phil Weiser. NBC News projects that Weiser will move on to the November election, where he'll be favored against one of the three Republicans seeking their party’s nomination.
Rep. Diana DeGette trails democratic socialist challenger in Colorado House primary
Democratic socialist Melat Kiros is leading Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st District.
With about three-quarters of the expected vote tallied, Kiros, 29, is running ahead of DeGette, who has held the Denver-based seat for nearly 30 years, 49% to 44%.
Colorado AG Phil Weiser wins the Democratic primary for governor, NBC News projects
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has won the state’s Democratic primary for governor, NBC News projects, upsetting Sen. Michael Bennet after a campaign that centered on who would be more effective in standing up to Trump.
Manny Rutinel wins the Democratic primary in Colorado's 8th District, NBC News projects
State Rep. Manny Rutinel has won the Democratic primary for Colorado's battleground 8th District, NBC News projects, defeating former state Rep. Shannon Bird.
Rutinel will face freshman GOP Rep. Gabe Evans this fall in a district Trump carried by less than 2 points in 2024.
Sen. John Hickenlooper wins the Democratic Senate primary in Colorado, NBC News projects
Sen. John Hickenlooper has won Colorado’s Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects, defeating progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales in what Hickenlooper has said will most likely be his final campaign for elected office.
Rep. Jeff Hurd wins the Republican primary for Colorado's 3rd District, NBC News projects
Rep. Jeff Hurd has the Republican primary for Colorado's 3rd District, NBC News projects, fending off a challenge from former state Rep. Ron Hanks.
Earlier this year, Trump rescinded his endorsement of Hurd after Hurd voted for a resolution blocking his tariffs on Canada. But Trump reversed course a month later and re-endorsed Hurd.
Polls close in Colorado
Polls closed at 9 p.m. ET in Colorado, where voters are selecting party nominees for governor, the Senate and several congressional seats in the reliably Democratic state.
With Gov. Jared Polis term-limited, the governor's race is open for the first time since 2018, with the Democratic primary between Bennet and Weiser capturing the most attention.
In the Senate, progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales is challenging Sen. John Hickenlooper in his Democratic primary, while state Sen. Mark Baisley is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.
And DeGette's challenge from Kiros in the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary highlights a slate of House races.
Battleground showdowns to watch for tonight in Colorado
Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is the most competitive seat in the state this year: Trump carried it by less than 2 percentage points in 2024, and freshman GOP Rep. Gabe Evans won it by less than 1 point.
The two major Democratic candidates are former state Rep. Shannon Bird and state Rep. Manny Rutinel, the top fundraiser, who has leaned heavily on his family’s immigrant story in a district with a high share of Latino voters.
Rutinel is also backed by powerful labor unions and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a well-respected Democrat from Colorado.
Bird frames herself as more of the classic moderate who can appeal to swing voters. She is endorsed by EMILY’s List and centrist Democratic groups, such as New Dems, Blue Dog PAC and The Bench.
The winner of the Democratic primary will move on to what’s expected to be one of the most tightly contested House races in the country this fall. So far, only nine House races have drawn more fall ad bookings, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
There’s not much of a primary in the Colorado Springs-area 5th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Jeff Crank is running for a second term in a district Trump won by 9 points in 2024. Crank also has Trump’s endorsement.
Democrat Jessica Killin, a veteran who later was chief of staff to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is looking to leverage demographic changes in the Colorado Springs population to pull off a win on red-leaning terrain in November.
White House task force aims to boost Trump’s election claims with declassified intelligence documents
A White House task force is gathering thousands of pages of documents from U.S. intelligence agencies, with plans to declassify some of them, so Trump can amplify new accusations about past elections, three people familiar with the effort said.
Trump’s financial disclosure lists $1.4 billion in crypto earnings, powered largely by meme coins
Trump earned more than $635 million from a licensing agreement with a cryptocurrency group specializing in “meme” coins bearing his name last year, an amount that pushed his total crypto holdings past $1 billion, according to a lengthy financial disclosure form he released today.
The figures from 2025 — the first year of Trump’s second term — were disclosed to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics in a 927-page document. By comparison, President Barack Obama’s final disclosure form was eight pages, while President Joe Biden’s was 11 pages. Vice President JD Vance’s form for last year is 17 pages.
Trump’s meme-coin earnings came on top of more than $236 million worth from additional crypto token sales and an additional sale of equity worth more than $65 million associated with Trump family crypto venture World Liberty Financial. There’s also more than $290 million classified as income from cryptocurrency wallets associated with World Liberty.
The $635 million was earned from a group called Celebration Coins. No digital footprint could be found for the group, and a representative for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment tonight.
Republicans to hold their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, Trump announces
Trump announced today that Republicans will hold a party convention in Dallas in September, noting on Truth Social that the event will be the first of its kind for the GOP in a midterm election year.
Trump described the convention, scheduled for Sept. 9-10, as a “truly Historic Event.”
“Dallas will take center stage on September 9th and 10th as we celebrate our Nation, our achievements, and our bright future. THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN!” he said in his post.
Republicans are defending narrow majorities in the House and the Senate, and Trump’s sinking approval rating has put those majorities at risk.
Trump’s off-again, on-again endorsement in a Colorado congressional race
The saga around Trump’s endorsement of GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd makes the primary in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District one to watch.
Trump rescinded his endorsement this year when Hurd backed a resolution blocking his tariffs on Canada and backed one of Hurd’s opponents, Hope Scheppelman. But a month later, Trump reversed course again and re-endorsed Hurd. Scheppelman then dropped out of the race at Trump’s request and is now working at the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Still, Hurd faces a primary challenge from former state Rep. Ron Hanks, a retired Air Force intelligence officer who has been a vocal proponent of false claims about the 2020 election and who marched with Trump supporters to the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6 riot.
Hurd has raised more than $3 million for his re-election campaign, dramatically more than the $42,000 Hanks has brought in. And Hurd defeated Hanks by 14 percentage points in the 2024 GOP primary.
The Democratic candidates are Dwayne Romero, president of a construction management company, and Alex Kelloff, a businessman whose family owns a grocery store. Whoever wins will be fighting an uphill battle in the Republican-leaning district.
What to know about the Colorado Senate race
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper is running for a second, and most likely final, term after he flipped the Colorado seat in 2020.
Hickenlooper faces a younger, more progressive primary challenger in state Sen. Julie Gonzales. Gonzales, 43, is a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has painted Hickenlooper, 74, as a product of “go-along-to-get-along politics” and criticized him for voting for 10 of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Hickenlooper has vastly outraised and outspent Gonzales, hitting the airwaves with ads that highlight his work in the Senate and his opposition to Trump. He is also no stranger to primary challenges from the left, having easily fended off a more liberal opponent in 2020.
State Sen. Mark Baisley, who had been running for governor, is the only Senate contender on the Republican primary ballot.
Colorado gubernatorial candidate vows to take on ‘lawless’ Trump administration
State Attorney General Phil Weiser, one of the two candidates in the Democratic primary for governor, said he is committed to fighting for the people of Colorado, in part by “taking on the lawless, bullying Trump administration."
Weiser told NBC News’ Ryan Nobles yesterday on "Meet the Press NOW" that his opponent, Sen. Michael Bennet, has 18 years of experience in the Senate and that it doesn’t make sense to take him out of that position because it's his strong suit. Weiser added that it also wouldn't make sense to take his own experience and abilities “off the field” in Colorado.
House to adjourn early after being unable to advance legislation
House members will leave Washington earlier than expected for their July 4 recess after a group of Republicans voted down a measure that would have allowed the chamber to bring legislation to the floor.
While Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., insisted after the failed rule vote this afternoon that the House would try again, a notice sent to members indicated that the House will have one more vote tonight on a different resolution and then leave town.
The House was already scheduled to be in recess next week. It will return July 13.
It is the second week in a row that the House has cut short its legislative time after the same group of Republicans, led by Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, vowed to oppose rules and legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act — an elections overhaul bill that Trump wants to sign into law.
House Oversight Committee interviews former aide to Bill Clinton as part of Epstein probe
Doug Band, who was an aide to former President Bill Clinton, answered questions from the House Oversight Committee today behind closed doors as part of its probe into Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told to reporters before he headed into the interview that the interest in Band focused on his connection to Epstein through Clinton. Comer also said the committee wanted Band to elaborate on previous comments he made about Clinton’s ties to Epstein — specifically Band’s saying Clinton visited Epstein’s island in 2003, several years before Epstein pleaded guilty to felony solicitation of prostitution and procuring a minor under 18 for prostitution.
When Clinton testified before the Oversight Committee in February, he told lawmakers that “I saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong." Authorities have not him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told reporters on his way out that there was not much to report today’s questioning because Band “doesn’t remember anything.” Band, who arrived shortly after 9 a.m. ET and left a little before 2 p.m., did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his interview.
Tom Kean's Democratic challenger says he was failing constitutents 'long before' health absence
Democratic House candidate Rebecca Bennett, who's challenging GOP Rep. Tom Kean for his New Jersey seat in the November election, said Kean was "failing our community long before this absence.”
In a statement reacting to Kean’s revealing he was being treated for depression during his nearly four-month absence from Congress, Bennett said that while she's relieved he is well, he has failed their community.
"He was the deciding vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill, which jacked up health care costs for everyone and kicked thousands off of their health insurance in our district," she said. "He has consistently failed to stand up for our communities, including when funding for the Gateway project was threatened. And he voted in favor of a reckless war that has made everything more expensive for New Jersey families."
Bennett also referred to reports that Kean traded stocks while he was absent from the House.
"This is the self-serving culture in Washington that New Jerseyans are rejecting, and the kind of behavior they are sick and tired of from career politicians," she wrote.
Cook Political Report rates the race to represent New Jersey's 7th Congressional District as a toss-up.
Kean's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Tom Kean returns to Congress after four months, citing treatment for depression
Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., returned to the Capitol today, saying he was treated for depression during his nearly four-month disappearance from the public eye.
It was Kean’s first time in the House since March 5. He had missed more than 140 votes since then.
“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said on the House floor.
He said his doctors “recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness” and added that depression means more than “feeling sad” — “it is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Progressive Democrats look to Colorado's 1st District for another big win
The Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st District represents the next best chance for the progressive wing of the party to pick up another win over an entrenched incumbent.
Rep. Diana DeGette, who has been in Congress for almost 30 years, is fighting for political survival. She has sought to burnish her progressive credentials, with one recent ad touting her role as an impeachment manager during Trump’s Senate trial after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, while emphasizing her support for “Medicare for All” and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Melot Kiros, a 29-year-old doctoral student and former lawyer who immigrated from Ethiopia as a child, has argued that DeGette, 68, isn’t adequately fighting for the district. She is backed by key politicians and groups on the left, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Justice Democrats, the Democratic Socialists of America and a handful of Democratic candidates who were successful in their insurgent bids.
Israel policy has loomed large in the race. Kiros has said she was fired after she published a letter critical of how law firms were addressing protests against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip following the 2023 Hamas attack.
NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver recently pressed Kiros about her comments that Hamas’ attack on Israel was “the inevitable consequence of apartheid.” She also declined to say whether a firebombing attack on demonstrators who gathered in Boulder, Colorado, to support Israeli hostages was antisemitic.
There has been a flurry of last-minute spending: Justice Democrats has spent more than $500,000 to boost Kiros, while various super PACs have spent more than $2 million to bolster DeGette. It’s all a sign of how seriously both sides are taking the challenge after last week’s elections in New York.
What to know about the Colorado governor's race
Sen. Michael Bennet has been the front-runner to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, but he faces a significant challenge from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The contest has grown increasingly negative, with both candidates and their allied outside groups launching attacks over who has taken a tougher approach to Trump. Whoever wins will be the heavy favorite in the blue-trending state. If Bennet wins, he will be able to appoint his own replacement to serve out the rest of his term in the Senate.
In the Republican primary, Victor Marx, a ministry leader and former Marine, is going up against a pair of state lawmakers: Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and Rep. Scott Bottoms.
Marx recently told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver that his abusive stepfather forced him to kill a man when he was 7 years old and that “I’ve been in other situations where, possibly, people or persons died as a result of me defending myself in other countries.” (It’s unclear whether he was referring to military service.)
Colorado’s primaries present the next test for the Democratic establishment
Today's primaries in Colorado mark the next front in the establishment-versus-insurgent battle playing out within the Democratic Party, one week after major victories for candidates in New York City backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Colorado’s Democratic primaries have flown more under the radar, but they feature three major contests where veteran Democrats are facing challengers who are aiming to capitalize on the party’s growing anti-Washington sentiment.
