A Republican who says Trump lost looks to put Colorado’s Senate race in play

One sign of the perceived potential for Republicans in Colorado came last week when the independent Cook Political Report With Amy Walter shifted its rating from likely Democrat to lean Democrat. A congressional colleague of Bennet’s said privately that he believes the incumbent will prevail but that the contest with O’Dea is “a real race.”

Bennet, whose memories of 2010, 2014 and 2016 remain fresh, doesn’t disagree. The effects of rising gasoline and food prices, the history of midterm elections costing the party in power and the unpopularity of President Biden in Colorado and nationally adds up, he said, to a “tough combination.” But he said there is a big difference from those past cycles that he hopes will play to his advantage. “I think that we have a record of accomplishment that looks different than any of those prior years,” he said…

McConnell has said the GOP will be “all in” for O’Dea, as many see him as setting up a favorable contrast with Bennet. A political novice, O’Dea is a construction magnate and self-made executive with deep roots in Colorado. He dropped out of college to set off on his own to build a company that now employs “300 families,” as he put it during an interview in his campaign office.