CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia. — Presidential candidate Michael Bennet, in Iowa on Sunday, said Democrats could lose Colorado if rival candidate Bernie Sanders becomes the presidential nominee.

“Colorado would be at risk if Bernie Sanders is the nominee," Bennet, a Colorado senator, told reporters at the Progress Iowa Corn Feed.

Bennet made the remark to highlight Sanders' "Medicare for All" proposal and his belief that it would not be a winning message in a place like Colorado. Bennet said of his assessment: "It's nothing against Bernie," before also criticizing President Donald Trump's chances of winning Colorado.

Sanders, a Vermont senator, was not among the candidates who spoke at the Sunday afternoon gathering, which attracted about 1,000 would-be caucus participants.

Bennet said Colorado voters with private health insurance would be concerned about how a Medicare for All policy would impact their access to affordable, quality health care.

"That's a tough burden to carry in a state like Colorado," Bennet said. "On the other hand, people in Colorado would love to hear a candidate say, 'What we need is universal health care coverage in the country, and the way we're going to get to that is by giving everybody in America a choice.'"

Colorado has long been considered a swing state but has been trending more Democratic in recent elections. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016 and, in 2018, Democrats held control of the governor's office.

Bennet focused his remarks to the Corn Feed crowd on creating "a new, progressive era" in America. The former school superintendent also talked about his education plan, which includes universal preschool and better pay for public school teachers.

"We need a new progressive era in this country. We have to overturn Citizens United. We have to get rid of political gerrymandering in this country, as you’ve done in Iowa," he said.

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, another presidential hopeful at the Iowa Corn Feed event Sunday, is among the group of 2020 hopefuls who are taking a more centralist view of the race. Asked about Bennet's remarks, Hickenlooper said: "I'm not going to correct the senator, but I'm not going to disagree with him, either. We are a very independent state."