For the last decade or so, the Democrats have been in the midst of a famed attempt to turn red Colorado blue with their much talked about “Colorado Model.” But this year it seems that their blue touch is reverting back to red, at least where it concerns the suddenly neck-and-neck races for governor and US Senate–a situation few expected.
Polls taken less than two weeks away from Election Day are showing both races in statistical ties with the Republican candidates mounting stronger campaigns than expected.
A new Reuters-Ipsos poll finds the race for Governor between incumbent Democrat Governor John Hickenlooper and challenger Republican Bob Beauprez even with 46 percent each.
As for the race for US Senate, incumbent Senator Democrat Mark Udall is behind Challenger Republican Cory Gardner 47 to 45 percent. Gardner has been running one of the best GOP challenger campaigns in the country with few mistakes and a steady hand on the tiller.
The new poll is no anomaly as other polls have found similar results.
This comes off successful anti-incumbent recall elections last year that took out the Democrat President of the state senate and one of his Democrat allies. A third Democrat state senator resigned to avoid a recall election. All lost their seats over anti-gun votes that riled the electorate.
The recall elections sent Hickenlooper reeling attempting to explain away his vocal support of the anti-gun measures just as he was beginning to gear up for this year’s re-election campaign.
Last year’s successful anti-Democrat recall elections served as the first test for Hikenlooper’s re-election campaign and they are still reverberating today, a year later.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.