Politico: Can Colorado Be the Seat That Decides Senate Control?

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Joe O'Dea, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. (AP Photo)

In a long review of the Colorado senate race, Politico’s Natalie Allison concluded the race doesn’t appear as competitive as most expected. I agreed and said as of October 16 the race was still the Democrats’ to lose. The Republicans would need a very strong closing to make it a “sleeper state”:

“Floyd Ciruli, a longtime Colorado pollster who now directs the University of Denver’s polling program, said political observers in the state entered the election believing there was a chance the Senate seat could flip.

“Ciruli said there’s no question inflation is voters’ No. 1 concern, and that Biden isn’t particularly popular there. And he doesn’t doubt that polling this year – Colorado no exception – is missing the full extent of the populist vote. All the same, disenchantment with national Democrats doesn’t seem to be rushing in a red wave in Colorado,” he said.

“We could be surprised on the 8th, but at the moment where the polls are, there’s the sense that Independent voters just may not be available to the Republicans” this year in Colorado, Ciruli said.

READ: The sleeper state Republicans are targeting to win the Senate