Michael Bennet vs. Phil Weiser for Colorado Governor and Standing up for All of [0:00-5:05]

Hey podcast listeners, Mr. Ballon here to let you know we are now publishing four times a week on my podcast, Mr. Ballon podcast, Strange Dark and Mysterious Stories. That's right, you'll be getting four new episodes a week covering unbelievable mysteries chilling through crime and stories so strange they sound made up, but they aren't. They're all true. Don't miss an episode. Listen to and follow Mr. Ballon podcast, Strange Dark and Mysterious Stories, wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. Hey podcast family, welcome back. I'm Andy Beshear and this is a show where we have real conversations with real people about things that actually matter. Today we're heading west to the Rocky Mountains to be specific because Colorado is one of the most fascinating political stories of 2026. Governor Jared Polis is term limited so for the first time in eight years, Colorado Democrats get to decide who their next leader is going to be and in a state where Republicans haven't won a governor's race since Bill Owens was reelected back in 2002 whoever wins the Democratic primary is almost certainly going to be the next governor so the stakes they are high. Two candidates have emerged as clear front runners. US Senator Michael Bennett and Attorney General Phil Weiser. These are two serious accomplished Democrats and they have been going at it. They've been trading barbs at candidate forums in fundraising emails and on social media, each making the case that they are the one who can best fight for Colorado families and stand up to Washington. It's going to be a great episode where you can listen to them both and make up your mind about how and whether to get involved. Remember you can download the Antibeshear Podcast on all major platforms but head on over to our YouTube channel at Antibeshear Podcast. Subscribe and if you leave a comment, we may read it or your question on one of our future podcasts. Let's get to it. The Antibeshear Podcast is proud to be joined by Senator Michael Bennett. Representing Colorado in the US Senate for three terms, Michael Bennett is delivered for working families and children. He's helped cut child poverty nearly in half through his expanded child tax credit. He's written clean energy tax provisions to create jobs and lower costs and he secured billions of dollars to protect Colorado's water, forest and public lands. Michael has built a reputation for genuine outreach and building coalitions that deliver results. Whether strengthening rural economies, investing in broadband and infrastructure, supporting veterans or securing resources for Colorado farmers and ranchers. He has also been a national leader on education, continuing the work he began as superintendent of Denver Public Schools where he turned around struggling schools and expanded opportunities for Colorado kids. Michael is running for governor to make Colorado more affordable to stand up to Trump's attacks on our values and to protect the Colorado way of life for future generations. Senator, welcome to the podcast. Governor, that's a really nice introduction that I appreciate and thanks for having me. Well, first question that everybody is going to want to know when I'm sure you talk about it a lot on the campaign trail as you are a sitting U.S. Senator but you're running for the best job in the world. So tell our listeners why. I'm glad to hear you say that by the way because when I talk to the former governors who are in the Senate who are constantly talking about how being governor was a better job than being a senator, the minute that I told them I was going to run for governor, they all had a reason why I shouldn't do it. But from my perspective, governor, this is a moment when the real battle for our future is going to come from the States. It's not going to come from Washington DC and I think that's a combination obviously of fighting the worst instincts of this Trump administration which you see on display every single day is standing up to the lawlessness of that. But it's also a chance to be able to actually have, I think, a compelling vision of what the future of the country is going to look like. What the future of Colorado is going to look like. We are having an affordability crisis in Colorado. It's almost like we have two states. They're people that are my generation that are on the right side of the asset inflation and the increases in real estate prices all for the last 15 years or so. And then there's everyone else and there's not a county left in Colorado where anybody feels like their kids are going to be able to afford to live there and our kids are desperate and angry because they don't believe there's going to be room for them in the state that they love. So I think we need to address those