U.S. Senate
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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Somebody
80%
20%
Governor
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(D) Joe Neguse
(D) Phil Weiser
(D) Jena Griswold
60%
60%
40%↓
Att. General
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(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Alexis King
(D) Brian Mason
40%
40%
30%
Sec. of State
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(D) George Stern
(D) A. Gonzalez
(R) Sheri Davis
40%
40%
30%
State Treasurer
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(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
(D) Jerry DiTullio
60%
30%
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Somebody
80%
40%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Somebody
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(D) Joe Salazar
50%
40%
40%
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
February 26, 2014 02:07 PM UTC
52 Comments
Oh snap! He could have been the first Senator from the 51st state, "Northern Colorado"!
+1
Tim Kubik said something like it first. #creditwherecreditisdue
Gardner will easily take the primary. His only knock is his congressional voting record which Republicans are all to happy. Plus, he's the most moderate of Colorado's Republican delegation.
This has implications on the Governor's race as well. Brophy can drop out of that race and run for a seat in the House instead. Buck may also see the House as a more reachable position than Senate now. The primary election is the general election for all intents and purposes, so there will be no issue with the "I'm more conservative" drum beat.
…all to happy to defend.
… all too happy to defend?
Buck clearly demoted (back to the minor leagues), and Gardner about to become unemployed (back to more openly being on the O&G payroll).
I'd say my day is made!
Agreed. Gardner is toast.
Just when I thought I had cured my addiction to blogging on Pols — this stuff is strategy crack.
This seems a bit late in the game to be changing races but I guess anything is possible. I'm also wondering whether this affects control of his old seat.
Hi US, my guess Cory's old seat is safe for Republicans at the moment. CD4 may be a better fit for Buck as he proved not ready for prime time in '10.
Ken Buck, a district attorney who lost the Senate race in 2010, will instead run for the House seat currently held by Gardner. Another candidate, Republican state senator Amy Stephens, will also drop her bid. – See more at: http://coloradopols.com/diary/54821/breaking-cory-gardner-to-seek-gop-senate-nomination#sthash.Uh8sgCz7.dpuf
Cory is the best candidate the GOP has for the Senate seat. Udall will probably win but he's going to have to work harder now. On the good news side, we'll see Udall doing some townhalls now, maybe even some with unscripted questions.
@DT
10+
“Musical chairs” in the CO GOP. Wonder who will fall on their bumm.
They just can't catch a break…
Where do we sign up for the Draft Michael Bowman for CD4 campaign? Seriously!
Seconded.
Thanks for the nice comments folks, but I'm knee-deep into the local control initiative that we intend to have on the ballot this fall – and the opportunity to make a difference in the trajectory of our state energy policy, etc. through that channel and (rapidly growing) community.
And, now you understand why I became a registered Republican. Let the clown car races begin.
I knew they would throw the woman under the (clown) bus…. I mean car…
I wonder if Buck's health is at all an issue. Two years might be easier to do than six. I don't know. Just wondering.
Next question: what will happen with the governor's race. Does anyone think that a similiar deal might be in the works? And, if so, who?
I thought something like this might happen on the gov side with Beauprez. The senate deal took me by surprise, but it makes sense.
Who?, indeed . . .
. . . why that's obvious . . .
Dan Maes !
Ah, this goes a long way in explaining why Gardner (not to mention his loathsome gasbag minions trolling on CoPols) has been so feversihly spinning and lying about "UdallCare" lately…
At some level, you have to admire the strategy on Gardner's part. Announcing the day afrter the "debate" means he didn't have to answer personhood questions or any number of other things that would have hurt him in the general. But it looks less sleezy than Gessler/Tancredo.
Obviously he didn't expect Hill to stick around. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. If I remember right, GOP caucus goers don't take kindly to the establishment types stacking the deck.
I think Hill has a strong chance of coming out of the state assembly as the top line. But will never be able to raise the money to compete in the July primary.
I think Owen Hill will be lucky to get the 30%. Gardner is a very good campaigner and has a lot more experience than Hill. Hill will be a nuisance because he'll lash out at Gardner as his numbers sink. But he's not competitive.
I think Hill becomes toast at the assembly and it will be a coronation ceremony.
The Republicans are united in wanting to take out Udall. If you want evidence, watch last night's debate.
Excellent points all, but having dodged the bullet in last night's debate, there will be many, many more such deadly political projectiles headed Gardner's way from which he WON'T be able to hide. Unlike Beauprez, Cory can't have it both ways. We need to get him on the record — NOW!
The line Hill is spinning seems off. If this had been in the works for a couple weeks, why didn't he make it known? Why wasn't he out there going "Look! Cory's trying to get in! The establishment's working a backroom deal to get the real conservative out of the race! Buck and Stephens are in on it! they're just staging Potemkin campaigns!"
Probably wouldn't use potemkin, too much of a liberal college professor word for his base…
Even more than avoiding the litmus test, I think it gives Gardner the chance to be the "normal" one. Last night we got to see what passes for sanity in the COGOP, now along comes Sir Cory to rescue the right from itself.
I don't know why he thought Hill would be play the good soldier. I wouldn't have expected him to bow out, so why ask and make it a story? While I'd love Hill to win and guarantee a Udall victory, I think Gardner could have managed the race with a wink and a nod, while avoiding saying all the crazy crap that the state senator from TEA will be spouting.
My guess is Hill's support quickly evaporates.
Can't stay away for this! Owen is feeling backdoored. Amy has gone to radio silence. The Twitterverse is twittering that BW Bob will be jumping in the Governor's race…
I hope the D's think about who can take out Buck, who seems vulnerable to me (less so for sure in CD4 but still more so thatn the incumbent). There's gonna be some quick shill shuffeling and troll tumbling going on too.
I can't help but find it funny that Hill might feel "backdoored" due to the fact that an actual candidate joined the race. With the possible exception of Buck, the others were running to see who could lose to Udall least worst.
In any case taking an open seat, even an easy one, costs more than a comfortable incumbency. It's always good to force the other side to spend some more money anywhere, doesn't matter, money available being a zero sum thing.
This is an interesting change-up. FWIW, I don't see Gardner as being any better than Buck against Udall.
His on-the-record and off-the-wall comments about the ACA, his past record on women's issues, his support for government shutdowns (in general, his Congressional voting record) – these are not things that propel him above Ken Buck in ability to win the general election.
It does help elect Ken Buck to a Federal office, if he switches to the House race. If Gardner can win CO-04, so can Buck – though with luck Democratic pressure can be brought to bear on an open seat.
Could Betsy Markey run here? Any chance this effects a ton of statewide races in that way?
*rerun
She has a better chance at the state level than in CO-04. I wouldn't count on her to switch.
Betsy lives in CD 2, now (as do I, thanks to some fab Dem redistricting!).
Un–freaking–believable!
The clown car has lost three wheels/tires, the oil pan has a leak, and the radiator is steaming!!!!
So everyone, quick, pile out of the car, run around, do three back flips, and switch places!
It'll work – I swear it!
Have I missed the answer to this question: Where does The Mustache land in this game of musical chairs/clown car??!! Surely somewhere – or maybe he's fallen out of the clown car and is now trying to keep up on his tricycle with the Mustache-shaped handlebars.
The AP says:
Gardner would enter the race with $876,000 in his House campaign account that he can immediately use in the Senate contest — more money than the other three major Republican candidates had combined.
Meanwhile, Udall still has $4.7million.
Close…er. But not close enough.
Do they all just get to keep the money they raised? Can Buck just use whatever he raised claiming he was running for the Senate ?
This is all compete bs.
Yes, provided they stay in the same "level" of race.
Senate and Congress are both Federal races, so the money transfers fine. If Buck had gone to the Governor's race, then no.
The only thing crazier than this is if Tancredo ran for Governor.
… oh wait.. he is.