Rep. Cory Gardner’s entrance into U.S. Senate race elevates its national importance
With 21 Democratic U.S. Senate seats in play this November, Colorado
in a single day moved from a relatively safe seat for incumbent Sen. Mark Udall, to one of the more closely watched competitive races in the country.
Republicans need six seats to take control of the upper chamber of Congress and with the news Wednesday that GOP Congressman Cory Gardner is vying for the nomination to challenge Udall, Colorado now enters a pack of states where Republicans see openings.
“This race should no longer be considered safe for the Democrats,” wrote Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, who moved Udall’s seat from a “safe Democrat” seat to a “Democrat favored” seat.
Udall, who is vying for a second term, joins the following Democratic incumbents on Rothenberg’s list who face tough challenges this November:
A recent Quinnipiac poll revealed Udall had split job approval numbers, but voters say 47 percent to 41 percent that he does not deserve to be re-elected.
Gardner, a rising star in the House GOP caucus, is sure to bring deep donor lists and increased fundraising to the contest as two candidates have exited the race in less than 24 hours.
And as Jennifer Duffy of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report told The Wall Street Journal, the move by Gardner is, simply, a “game changer.”
Follow Kurtis on Twitter: @kurtisalee
Republicans need six seats to take control of the upper chamber of Congress and with the news Wednesday that GOP Congressman Cory Gardner is vying for the nomination to challenge Udall, Colorado now enters a pack of states where Republicans see openings.
“This race should no longer be considered safe for the Democrats,” wrote Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, who moved Udall’s seat from a “safe Democrat” seat to a “Democrat favored” seat.
Udall, who is vying for a second term, joins the following Democratic incumbents on Rothenberg’s list who face tough challenges this November:
-Mark Beigch of Alaska (tilts Democrat)
-Mark Pryor of Arkansas (tilts Republican)
-Tom Harkin of Iowa (open seat; lean Democrat)
-Mary Landrieu of Louisiana (pure tossup)
-Carl Levin of Michigan (Democrat favored)
-John Walsh of Montana (tilts Republican)
-Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire (Democrat favored)
-Kay Hagan of North Carolina (tilts Democrat)
-Mark Warner of Virginia (Democrat favored)
-Tim Johnson of South Dakota (open seat; Republican favored)
-Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia (open seat; lean Republican)
A recent Quinnipiac poll revealed Udall had split job approval numbers, but voters say 47 percent to 41 percent that he does not deserve to be re-elected.
Gardner, a rising star in the House GOP caucus, is sure to bring deep donor lists and increased fundraising to the contest as two candidates have exited the race in less than 24 hours.
And as Jennifer Duffy of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report told The Wall Street Journal, the move by Gardner is, simply, a “game changer.”
Follow Kurtis on Twitter: @kurtisalee
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