Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) acknowledged over the weekend that the national Democratic Party brand has become a liability for candidates across the country, stating that it fails to help Democrats “anywhere.”
Speaking Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, Bennet responded to a question from host Jake Tapper regarding the impact of the Democratic Party’s declining popularity.
Tapper referenced Bennet’s recent announcement that he plans to run for governor of Colorado and asked whether the party label was more of a help or hindrance—even in a state that leans Democratic.
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“You announced last month that you’re going to run for governor of Colorado, a decision that you say is driven by your frustration with Congress and, frankly, with Democratic leadership,” Tapper said.
“I just wonder, given your party’s record low popularity right now, does the Democratic brand help you or hurt you even in a purple, blue state like Colorado?”
Bennet responded by distancing himself from the party’s national image.
“I don’t think nationally, the Democratic brand helps very much anyway, I mean anywhere,” he said.
“If it did, we wouldn’t have lost to Donald Trump twice.”
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The senator pointed to his own discontent, along with that of others who are dissatisfied with both Trump and the Democratic Party’s failure to counter him effectively.
“I know a lot of supporters of mine and friends of mine are furious at Donald Trump. I am,” Bennet said.
“Are furious at people they think aren’t standing up enough to Donald Trump. I am. But I’m also furious that the Democratic Party that has lost twice to Trump.”
He also remarked on how Trump’s appeal contrasts with his standing in Colorado’s professional and political landscape.
“Donald Trump could not get appointed to any job in the state of Colorado. He couldn’t get hired on, you know, 17th Street, which is our business street here in Denver, Colorado,” Bennet said.
“But he’s been sent to Washington twice to blow the place up because, among other things, people are sick of what they see as the self-interested partisanship there.”
Bennet criticized his own party’s inability to effectively address economic issues and education concerns—two areas he believes have been neglected for years.
“I think they’re sick of a Democratic Party who hasn’t been able to show how we’re going to address an economy where the middle class continues to shrink,” he said.
“And where, over the last 20 years, we’ve actually lost ground in terms of, you know, the achievement of our kids in school.”
He called for Democrats to not only oppose Donald Trump but also to provide tangible policy solutions.
“We need to address those things,” Bennet said.
“So I think it’s very important for us to stand up against the insanity that Trump represents and the chaos that he represents and show that there’s something better.”
Bennet’s comments come amid ongoing debate within the Democratic Party about its direction and messaging, especially in the face of low approval ratings and internal divisions heading into the 2026 election cycle.
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