U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, who is also running for governor, says he supports a mid-decade effort to redraw Colorado’s Congressional districts.
Several Republican states have redrawn their Congressional maps in recent months at the urging of President Donald Trump so the party can pick up more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.
Voters in Democratic-leaning California approved a temporary measure last month allowing the state to adopt a new congressional map. Other Democratic states are also considering similar actions.
In Colorado, a ballot measure proposed for next year would amend the state constitution to allow for an emergency redistricting process in which the governor could suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission and appoint a temporary body to draw a new district map. The measure has not yet been approved for the ballot and still has to undergo a successful campaign, requiring a lot of money and resources.
Colorado voters handily approved setting up the independent redistricting commission through a constitutional amendment in 2018. Redistricting usually takes place following the national census once every ten years, the last of which was in 2020.
In the past, Bennet has said all options should be on the table to defend democracy, but refrained from backing a mid-cycle redirecting effort because any new Colorado map wouldn’t take effect until 2028, which he argued was too late to meaningfully influence national political balance.
Now, Bennet says Colorado must consider the move in response to redistricting efforts in Republican-led states.
“Donald Trump and Republicans have taken us down this dangerous path of mid-cycle redistricting. We have no choice but to fight back. I support a one-time change to Colorado’s constitution so we can do our part."U.S. Senator Michael Bennet has thrown his support behind a constitutional amendment for emergency redistricting.
“Donald Trump and Republicans have taken us down this dangerous path of mid-cycle redistricting. We have no choice but to fight back. I support a one-time change to Colorado’s constitution so we can do our part,” Bennet said in a statement.
But Bennet also says it’s more important for Democrats to focus on successfully winning next year’s midterms.
“Right now, the most important thing we can do is flip the House of Representatives in 2026,” Bennet continued. “Colorado has real opportunities, from CD-5 in El Paso County — a longtime GOP stronghold that’s trending our way — to CD-8, one of the nation’s top battlegrounds.”
Currently, Colorado’s congressional delegation is evenly split, with four Democrats and four Republicans.
Bennet is the latest prominent Colorado Democrat to come out in support of redistricting.
Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running against Bennet for governor, endorsed the idea in October.
“If you had a world where the only mid-cycle redistricting were done by Republican states and all the Democratic states say, ‘No, we don't do that.’ That's not a fair world,” Weiser said. “In fact, you're giving an unfair advantage. You're enabling unfair advantage by staying on the sidelines.”
Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is running for Colorado attorney general, and U.S. Representative Jason Crow both support a ballot initiative to allow for emergency redistricting.
Other Colorado Democrats, including Governor Jared Polis, want the state to stay out of the redistricting fight.
