Republican State Senator Owen Hill announced he’s dropping his bid for the office. Hill would have run against Republican Party frontrunner Cory Gardner for the chance to represent the GOP against incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. The move marks one of several reshuffling acts happening now in Colorado Republican races for national office.
Hill bowing out of the race leaves just Republican State Senator Randy Baumgardner to run against Gardner in the June 24 primary, according to The Denver Post. The winner will challenge Udall, who has come up lackluster in recent polling.
The most recent poll from left-leaning Public Policy Polling shows Udall with a slight lead over Gardner — although the two point lead is within PPP’s 4-6 percent margin of error. Gardner’s entry into the Senate race made it more competitive — one Republicans hope will help them change the party majority in U.S. Senate.
Gardner’s exit from the 4th Congressional District race has created a void many Republicans hope to fill. The top three GOP hopefuls so far are Weld District Attorney Ken Buck, Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer and State Sen. Scott Renfroe. The Greeley Tribune is reporting that Buck is largely seen as the frontrunner due to fundraising and name recognition.
The 4th CD winner from the GOP June 24 primary will face off against Democratic candidate Vic Meyers of Trinidad and unaffiliated candidate Grant Doherty of Lochbuie northeast of Brighton.
In the 2nd CD, the field of Republican hopefuls looking to challenge U.S. Rep. Jared Polis has grown to three. On March 17, Littleton GOP candidate Bob Comer threw his hat into the ring. He joins Boulder County GOP Chair George Leing and Loveland resident Larry Sarner who are also vying to represent the Republicans in the race.
“This is not the old Boulder district, this district is dominated by Larimer County now,” said Comer, alluding to the results of 2011 redistricting. “I think we’ll see a substantial shift in the views of how people vote. Because the people in this district are moderates. Jared Polis is no moderate.”
The winner will square off against Polis, who is seen as a prolific fundraiser in the Democratic Party. The district is has about 17,000 more registered active Democratic voters compared to Republicans. However, the largest group is unaffiliated voters, which numbers about 177,000.
