The seat looked safe for Senator Udall until the Republicans recruited Rep. Cory Gardner (R) to run. Now it鈥檚 a competitive race.
By many measures, Colorado is Democratic-leaning. The governor and both US senators are Democrats. Both houses of the state legislature are Democratic-controlled. And Obama won the state twice. But 鈥淒emocrats have hit a rough patch on issues like gun control and education funding,鈥� The Cook Political Report says.
A Quinnipiac poll released April 24 showed Udall and Representative Gardner in a dead heat among Colorado voters, with Udall at 45 percent and Gardner at 44 percent. Obama now has a 59 percent unfavorable rating in the state, which can鈥檛 help Udall.
Cook, Rothenberg, and Sabato all rate a tossup.
