Senator Bennet pulled off an improbable election victory in 2010, the first year of the tea party wave. It helped that he drew the ultra-conservative Ken Buck (R) as his opponent, and that Mr. Buck had some positions that were easy to lampoon, such as support for “birther” legislation. Also, Bennet ran a smart campaign in political battleground Colorado.
Republicans are now eager to knock off Bennet, but so far don’t have a top-tier candidate. Rep. Mike Coffman (R) has announced he won’t run.
Cook, Sabato, and Rothenberg-Gonzales all call the race lean Democrat.
