This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | A broad coalition of Colorado labor unions and faith groups brought the two Democratic candidates for governor to the stage at a church in Lakewood Sunday for a forum with an unusual twist.
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, contenders in a head-to-head Democratic primary scheduled for June 30, stood side-by-side as they were asked 10 questions about the policies they’d pursue if elected governor — and pressed to respond with 10 yes-or-no answers, with only a handful of opportunities to elaborate later.
“The goal today is clarity, not slogans, not rehearsed talking points, not partisan theater,” said Rev. Sheri Fry, pastor at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, where the event was held. “Clarity matters because the challenges facing our communities are too urgent for vague promises.”
Zeik Saidman, a founding member of event organizer Coloradans for the Common Good, said the format was meant to avoid the “political dance” that too many similar candidate forums become.
“It doesn’t (lead) to substantive kind of questions,” Saidman said. “With our base in congregations, unions and nonprofits, we get to meat-and-potato issues.”
As they have at similar forums held throughout the year, Bennet and Weiser expressed relatively few disagreements on specific policy matters, giving the same answers to nine of 10 questions. Only the question of granting “all public sector workers full collective bargaining rights” divided them Sunday, with Weiser in support and Bennet opposed.
With only a minute of allotted speaking time on four different topics, beginning with immigration, the two candidates raced to hit the major themes of their campaigns — Bennet touting his record and experience, Weiser his barrage of lawsuits against the Trump administration.
“I’m proud to have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the (Denver Classroom Teachers Association) to get in-state tuition for the Dreamers in Colorado,” said Bennet, who served as Denver Public Schools superintendent before his appointment to the Senate in 2009. “I’m proud to have fought as a member of the gang of eight for comprehensive immigration reform.”
“I fought back when this administration tried to force Colorado law enforcement to do immigration work, and we won,” Weiser, who has served as attorney general since 2019, told the crowd to cheers. “I am proud to have taken on a deputy sheriff who engaged in immigration enforcement in violation of that law.”
The winner of the primary between Weiser and Bennet will face the winner of a three-way GOP contest in the general election, where the Democratic nominee will be heavily favored. Colorado has elected only one Republican governor in the last 50 years, and Democrats are widely expected to gain ground in a favorable midterm election year.
Opposition to Worker Protection Act
Founded in 2019, Coloradans for the Common Good is made up of several dozen member organizations including multiple Denver-area labor unions and religious congregations, along with nonprofits like the Community Economic Defense Project and Towards Justice.
Organizers said about 400 people, many of them members of those organizations, attended Sunday’s forum, and for much of Bennet and Weiser’s time on stage they had plenty to cheer about. Both candidates answered affirmatively — often enthusiastically so — to questions about whether they would support a bill to allow Coloradans to sue federal officials over constitutional violations, expand state-funded emergency rental assistance, increase funding for public education and more.
But the mood inside the Good Shepherd church soured substantially when the two candidates were asked a final question about whether they would sign the Worker Protection Act, a bill to ease union formation passed twice by Democratic majorities in the Legislature.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited in 2026, vetoed the bill last year and is expected to do so again in the coming weeks. The bill would repeal a provision in Colorado’s 1943 Labor Peace Act that requires unionizing workers to hold a second election and meet a 75% threshold to secure a so-called union security agreement, which compels all employees to pay union dues.
Both Weiser and Bennet declined to endorse the Worker Protection Act — or to adhere to the yes-or-no format — as they stuck to their stances in favor of a middle ground between the Labor Peace Act and the repeal sought by Colorado unions.
“I will sign a worker protection act,” Weiser said.
“My answer is that I will fight for a compromise,” said Bennet.
Organizers hushed members of the crowd who began to boo and heckle the candidates as they attempted to deliver answers that were cut off by a moderator. One attendee stormed out, urging them “sign the (expletive) bill.”
“This Labor Peace Act is antiquated, and I’m going to lead the effort to change it,” Weiser said when given the chance to elaborate. “Yes, I’m going to make sure I hear concerns and that everyone has a voice, but ultimately it’s on me to lead the change, to make it easier for unions to organize.”
“I would fight for a compromise that preserved the second election, but reduced the threshold for (union security),” Bennet told the crowd. “I understand we have a disagreement about that today. I understand that. But I want to say to the people in this room — we haven’t always agreed on every single thing, but we deeply agree about the fight that Colorado has to fight right now, for justice in our economy.”