U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democratic candidate for governor, submitted nominating petitions for Colorado’s June primary ballot on Friday, his campaign and the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said.

Bennet plans to rely on his petitions to get on the ballot, skipping the caucus and assembly process, his campaign said.

The three-term senator is facing Attorney General Phil Weiser in a primary for the office held by term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. As many as 25 Republicans are seeking their party’s gubernatorial nomination.

Bennet’s campaign said he turned in petitions bearing more than 17,000 signatures, well over the number required to qualify for the June 30 primary. Democratic and Republican candidates running for statewide office in Colorado need to submit 1,500 valid signatures from members of their party registered in each of the state’s eight congressional districts, for a total of 12,000.

“I’m honored to have earned the support of over 17,000 Coloradans to access the ballot for the June primary,” Bennet said in a statement. “I’m incredibly grateful to every person who volunteered their time, every supporter who signed a petition, and every voter who took a moment to talk with us about the future of this state. As we move towards Election Day, I look forward to continuing to travel across our state to meet voters in their communities and share my vision for a better Colorado.”

Bennet was the second statewide candidate to turn in petitions this year, following Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, who is seeking reelection to a second term and submitted his signatures on Thursday. The deadline to deliver petitions to the secretary of state is March 18.

Candidates can qualify for Colorado’s primary by gathering signatures, winning support from at least 30% of delegates to their party’s assembly, or by pursuing both methods. Bennet’s decision to bypass caucuses and assemblies leaves that route to Weiser, who hasn’t been circulating petitions.

Colorado’s Democratic and Republican parties kick off the process of selecting delegates to their county, district and state assemblies next week at precinct caucuses, which will be held from Tuesday through Saturday, depending on the county. Both parties are holding their state assemblies in Pueblo this year, with the Democrats’ set for March 28 and the GOP’s on April 11.

A spokesman for Weiser told Colorado Politics that Bennet’s move to rely solely on petitioning points up differences between the candidates and their campaigns.

“Phil Weiser is going through caucus to get on the ballot because he believes in the democratic process and is committed to meeting Coloradans exactly where they are,” said Nate Jackson, the Weiser campaign’s communications director, in a text message.

“Phil isn’t buying his way onto the ballot and isn’t relying on out-of-state billionaires and corporations to bankroll his campaign — he’s powered by the people of Colorado, and as governor, he’ll always fight for all Coloradans.”

Weiser outraised Bennet last year, pulling in $4.5 million to Bennet’s $3.5 million, with neither accepting contributions from corporations.

Rocky Mountain Way, a super-PAC formed to support Bennet, however, raised $3.6 million through the end of 2025, dwarfing the $560,000 raised over the same period by Brighter Future for Colorado, the super-PAC supporting Weiser. Among the donors to the committee backing Bennet is former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $1.25 million in 2025. Super-PACs can receive unlimited contributions but can’t donate directly to candidates and are forbidden from coordinating spending with the candidates they support.