Colorado leaning to Mark Udall, blog says
CQ Politics sees Dem narrowly beating Schaffer
By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 23, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Bob Schaffer
Mark Udall
A political blog has changed the rating of Colorado's open U.S. Senate race from "No clear favorite" to "Leans Democratic."
The blog, CQ Politics, now considers Democrat Mark Udall "a narrow front-runner in a highly competitive race that had been previously classified as a tossup."
Udall faces Republican Bob Schaffer, whose campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, gave a so-whaUdallt to the latest news.
"Ask President John Kerry and the United States senator, Tom Strickland, what early polls and prognostications have been like," Wadhams said.
Strickland, a Democrat, lost the 1996 and 2002 U.S. Senate races to Republican Wayne Allard.
Wadhams also pointed out that the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, released Tuesday, showed that Udall's lead over Schaffer had slipped. The survey showed Udall up 47 percent to 43 percent this month, while last month Udall enjoyed a nine-point lead.
Schaffer is a former congressman from Fort Collins. Udall, of Eldorado Springs, is serving his fifth term in Congress.
CQ Politics wrote that its rating change was based on several factors, including recent polls that show Udall ahead and a national climate that favors Democrats over Republicans.
Udall's campaign spokeswoman, Tara Trujillo, also credited the differences between the two candidates. She said Udall had worked to make Colorado the "nation's leader in renewable energy development." Schaffer, she said, has worked for the oil and gas industry.
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July 23, 2008
4:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
brad.lowe writes:
This race is going to be a knock-down drag out. I think the biggest factor is going to come down to what industry you care to support. Mark Udall is a Big Labor guy, and recieves a lot of his financial support from there, as well as lots of environmentat groups, while Schaffer is more in line with the energy sector and oil drilling. In the current economy, a candidate that supports more energy development (Schaffer), would be preferable to enviromental protectionism, (Udall). Not to mention Udall's support for Pro-Union legislation, including the deceptivly-named Employee Free Choice Act, which will swell union numbers and be a disaster for small business in this country...
July 23, 2008
4:45 p.m.
Suggest removal
HopiMedicineMan writes:
This race, as most this year, will be decided by the News-informed "independent" voter, proceeding eyes unblinking in the voting booth to the line of names under Obama.
July 23, 2008
9:51 p.m.
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nobozons writes:
I hear that Massachusetts is one hundred and fifty million dollars in the red with their socialized medicine program and their first year isn't over yet. I also understand that Udall won't drill--fat chance that he is electable. Every democrat is singing the same song more taxes, government control of everything and less personal freedom. Yes, kiss your civil rights, cars, and cash goodbye.You probably haven't heard but you are now in the state of Colorado being taxed for being healthy. You can't get a discount if you are healthy because you are now paying for all of the other people. Can you think of one original idea that Udall is proposing?
July 23, 2008
11 p.m.
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Jonah writes:
More drilling will make more profits for Big Oil - the friends of George Bush and Bob Schaffer. If you think more drilling will lower the cost of gas at the pump, you are mistaken. Why do people keep believing the lies of Bush and the Bushites???