The Colorado Senate race is now leaning toward a Democratic victory, according to the Cook Political Report, which made the change following Sen. Cory Gardner’s (R-CO) announcement that he would support a vote to confirm President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court.
Gardner was one of three key GOP senators who joined ranks with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) earlier this week in backing his controversial move to fill the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat.
Gardner’s support of a Senate floor vote to fill Ginsburg’s seat is a change of heart from his remarks in 2016 after late Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, saying that the “next election is too soon.”
The Cook Political Report noted that the support of a Senate floor vote by Gardner —an endangered incumbent who represents a crucial seat in Republicans’ fight to keep the Senate and is trailing former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) in the polls — is a position that “will surely be at odds with many Colorado voters.” Gardner represents a state that Trump lost by 5 points. That margin is expected to widen in the November election, Cook said.
According to the Cook Political report, Colorado has been steadily trending toward Democrats in the past two election cycles. The nonpartisan political analysis site cited Democrat Jared Polis’ win during the 2018 gubernatorial race by more than 10 points, and moderate Republican Rep. Mike Coffman losing re-election in the Denver suburbs by 11 points.
