A new Colorado Poll finds Sen. Cory Gardner (R) is viewed favorably by 40% of state voters and unfavorably by 39%.
In contrast, Gov. Jared Polis (D) has a much better 50% to 35% favorability rating.
Hickenlooper Dismisses Idea of Senate Run
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), campaigning Saturday in Iowa ahead of a possible presidential run, dismissed the idea that he might end up running for Senate instead in 2020, Politico reports.
Said Hickenlooper: “I’m not cut out to be a senator. Senators don’t build teams. Senators sit and debate in small groups, which is important, right? But I’m not sure that’s my — I’m a doer. That’s what gives me joy.”
Senate Democratic leaders have approached Hickenlooper about running against Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO).
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Gardner Endorses Trump for Re-Election
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) told the Independent Journal Review that he will support President Trump’s 2020 re-election bid because it’s the “right thing to do for Colorado.”
Said Gardner: “Look, I’ve made it very clear that where I agree with the president, we will agree or where I disagree, we will disagree. But I’m going to fight like hell for Colorado … I know what Kamala Harris and I know what Bernie Sanders will do to Colorado, and that’s why I’ll be supporting the president.”
Gardner called for Trump to step aside in 2016 and said he did not vote for him.
Colorado Republicans Worried About Corey Gardner
Denver Post: “Before the election, Colorado Republicans controlled the state Senate, occupied three of the state’s five statewide offices and held five of the state’s nine seats in Congress. Then nearly 900,000 unaffiliated voters cast their ballots and handed decisive victories to Democrats.”
Colorado GOP strategists say Sen. Corey Gardner’s (R-CO) “re-election prospects are grim unless the party can develop a new message that appeals to both the Trump loyalists and the independent voters who dislike the president.”
Gardner Finds Perils of Distancing from Trump
A new OnSight poll in Colorado finds Sen. Cory Gardner’s (R-CO) efforts to keep President Trump at arm’s length may be hurting his support among Republicans. His approval among GOP voters was 63% — a far cry from the 83% of Colorado Republicans who approved of Trump.
Gardner Supports a ‘Buffoon’ for President
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), who previously called Donald Trump a “buffoon,” said he’s voting for him, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.
Said Gardner: “That’s why I’m voting Republican up and down the ticket. A Republican president will make a difference, even a Republican president named Donald Trump.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“My dog, he’s a great dog. He’s bigger than you are. He’s huge. He’s huge. He’s a big guy. Very protective.”
— Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Jon Keyser (R), confronting a KMGH‑TV reporter who had knocked on his door following up on allegedly forged petition signatures.
Colorado Candidate Has a Marco Rubio Moment
Washington Post: “Watch the video above, and try not to cringe. It’s Jon Keyser, Republicans’ preferred candidate to challenge Sen. Michael Bennet (D) in the Colorado Senate race, having what can be charitably described as a brain freeze — or, less charitably, a Marco Rubio moment. And it isn’t good news for Senate Republicans hoping to unseat Bennet in a race that could help them keep the Senate.”
GOP Chaos in Colorado Risks Chance at Senate Seat
“Republicans started this election cycle with a big target in Colorado: The seat occupied by Michael Bennet was seen as their one, probably only, chance to beat a sitting Democratic senator,” Politico reports.
“Instead, it’s been one setback after another for the GOP. The state Republican Party has been racked by drama made for an HBO series, capped by a coup attempt targeting its chairman amid charges of blackmail and infidelity. A coveted prospective candidate, Rep. Mike Coffman, decided not to run for the seat. And big-spending GOP groups have poured millions of dollars into efforts to defend vulnerable GOP incumbents — instead of pummeling the 50-year-old, first-term Bennet.”
Coffman Decides Against Senate Bid in Colorado
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) won’t challenge Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) in Colorado’s Senate race next year, “setting in motion a wild scramble to find a Republican candidate for 2016,” the Denver Post reports.
“A number of Democrats have assumed Coffman would be the nominee, as evidence by the heightened number of attacks in him in recent months.”
Which Coffman Will Run in Colorado?
Roll Call: “This Senate race could make for interesting dinner conversation in one Colorado household. Republicans say battle-tested Rep. Mike Coffman and his wife, Cynthia Coffman, the state’s newly elected attorney general, are two of the party’s top prospects to challenge Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in 2016.”
“Colorado marks one of the few states where Republicans have the opportunity to go on offense in 2016, a year when the GOP must defend 24 seats — the vast majority of the map. And after incoming GOP Sen. Cory Gardner’s victory last year, Republicans are newly emboldened about their statewide prospects — and potential candidates.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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