History Warns: Why Michael Bennet’s Swap Scheme Is a Dangerous Repeat
History doesn’t repeat itself perfectly — but it rhymes loudly enough that we should hear it by now.
The news that Senator Michael Bennet wants to run for governor of Colorado — reportedly eyeing a deal in which Governor Polis could be appointed to Bennet’s Senate seat — should sound familiar.
It’s the same brand of insider politics that has angered voters for generations: the illusion of democracy while decisions are made behind closed doors.
These so-called “power swaps” rarely go well. And in this moment, when Colorado Democrats have already failed to act on redistricting while other blue states protect their voters, Bennet’s maneuver looks less like strategy and more like surrender.
The Bennet–Polis Swap: History’s Warning Signs
Let’s be clear about what’s being floated:
Michael Bennet runs for governor, potentially leaving a Senate vacancy.
Jared Polis — who has shown no indication of leaving the governor’s office otherwise — could be positioned to fill that seat.
The same small group of party insiders would quietly reshape Colorado’s leadership while voters are told it’s all “normal politics.”
But this isn’t new. And history is not kind to such arrangements.
1. The Swap That Sank a Party — Indiana, 1958
In the late 1950s, Indiana Republicans attempted a similar dual reshuffle: a senator retiring, a governor preparing to replace him, and a hand-picked successor lined up for the governor’s office. The backlash was immediate. Newspapers blasted it as undemocratic. Party unity shattered, and Democrats won the next cycle.
2. Kentucky, 1816 — Appointing Allies, Losing Legitimacy
Governor Gabriel Slaughter’s decision to replace elected officials with his own allies led to public outrage so fierce that the legislature nearly removed him. He never recovered politically.
The pattern holds: appointments meant to consolidate control end up eroding it.
3. The Modern Parallels — 21st-Century Voter Fatigue
Every time party elites engineer power moves — from New York’s Cuomo-era reshuffles to Illinois’s insider appointments — the public sees it for what it is: a lack of trust in democracy itself. Voters may not know every legislative detail, but they can smell a setup.
Colorado’s Deeper Problem: Failure on Redistricting
This isn’t just about personalities — it’s about priorities.
While other Democratic-controlled states have taken bold action to defend their maps and representation from national gerrymandering, Colorado’s leaders have done nothing.
California passed responsive redistricting protections in direct reaction to Texas’s aggressive gerrymander.
New York has fought in court to keep its fair maps.
Illinois and Oregon used their trifecta power to ensure their congressional lines reflect voters, not party bosses.
Meanwhile, Colorado Democrats — including Bennet and Polis — have stood still.
Despite having full control of the statehouse, no emergency mechanism has been introduced to defend our state’s representation from the distortions caused by gerrymandering in other states.
That’s why we filed the Colorado Election Rigging Response Act (CO-ERRA) — to give Colorado the ability to defend itself when national maps are rigged against our voters.
But where has Bennet been? Silent.
Where has Polis been? Absent.
Where have Colorado’s so-called “leaders” been? Waiting for someone else to act.
It’s a pattern: the same complacency that let our state fall behind on redistricting is now fueling an insider succession plan between two men who already hold power.
Why History Says This Will Backfire
Every time a party tries to rearrange the chessboard instead of facing voters honestly, it loses legitimacy.
This “Bennet-to-Governor, Polis-to-Senate” swap may sound clever inside the Capitol, but outside of it, it sounds like elitism — a backroom trade for titles.
The lessons are clear:
Swaps breed resentment.
Voters feel sidelined. Activists disengage. Donors hesitate.Appointments breed distrust.
Coloradans value elections — not orchestrations.Complacency breeds defeat.
The same leaders who have ignored redistricting now want to rearrange offices instead of fighting the real fight: protecting Colorado’s voice in Congress.
The Real Issue: Leadership That Leads Nowhere
Bennet’s years in Washington have been marked by caution.
Polis’s tenure, while innovative, has avoided conflict with D.C. Democrats.
Together, they represent a comfort zone — one that Colorado can no longer afford.
We need leaders who don’t just trade chairs — but take stands.
While states like California and New York fight for fair representation, Colorado’s political establishment is busy playing musical offices.
That’s not leadership. It’s management.
And it’s exactly why we’re losing ground in the national fight for fair maps.
A Final Warning from History
Every time parties forget that power belongs to the people, history humbles them.
From 19th-century Kentucky to modern-day Washington, insider trades have one outcome in common: loss of trust, and loss of power.
If Michael Bennet wants to be governor, he should run for it on his ideas — not on a handshake deal that turns Jared Polis into a Senate appointee.
And if Polis wants to serve in the Senate, he should earn it through the same process that every Coloradan respects: an election.
Colorado doesn’t need a political swap.
It needs a redistricting plan.
It needs courage.
It needs leaders who defend democracy, not rearrange it.
History is speaking. Colorado should listen.
