Election 2014: the most competitive Senate races

The Democrats face a challenge in their quest to hold onto the US Senate. Eleven races this year are seen as competitive – eight seats held by Democrats, three by Republicans. Here’s the rundown.

10. Colorado: Mark Udall (D), incumbent

David Zalubowski/AP
Sen. Mark Udall (D) of Colorado accepts his party's nomination to run for reelection in the November 2014 general election during the Colorado Democratic Party's State Assembly in Denver, April 12, 2014.

The seat looked safe for Senator Udall until the Republicans recruited Rep. Cory Gardner (R) to run. Now it’s 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 “Democrats have hit a rough patch on issues like gun control and education funding,” 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’t help Udall.

Cook, Rothenberg, and Sabato all rate a tossup. 

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