Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) will run for governor of Colorado and attempt to keep the state under Democratic control after the term-limited Gov. Jared Polis steps down.

The state’s senior senator announced his entrance into Colorado’s 2026 gubernatorial race in a video on Friday. Polis, who has led the state since 2019, is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

Bennet’s campaign launch sets up a faceoff between him and Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, who announced his campaign earlier this year. Bennet, the former Denver Public Schools superintendent, was first elected to the Senate in 2009 and ran for president in 2020.

In his campaign launch video, Bennet said that in the Senate, he has worked to “provide more opportunity to Coloradans, leading the battle to expand the child tax credit, limit the cost of prescription drugs, and protect our public lands.”