Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado received re-election Tuesday, NBC Information initiatives, defeating Republican Joe O’Dea in a aggressive race.
Bennet, 57, a former chief of employees to his Senate colleague John Hickenlooper, is seen as a average, though he has championed marijuana reform and environmental points. Within the Senate since 2009, Bennet ran for president in 2020, becoming a member of a crowded Democratic area that additionally included Hickenlooper, however he dropped out after the New Hampshire major.
O’Dea was seen by many as a great Republican candidate — a lot in order that Democrats tried to cease him from profitable the GOP nomination — however nationwide polarization and Colorado’s leftward shift proved inconceivable for him to beat.
O’Dea, a building firm CEO who had by no means run for workplace earlier than, distanced himself from former President Donald Trump and campaigned as a commonsense conservative who helps abortion rights and same-sex marriage. He mentioned his philosophy was “You reside your life, I’ll reside mine.”
After O’Dea defeated a Trump-aligned candidate within the Republican major, Trump swiftly labeled O’Dea a “RINO” (Republican in Title Solely) and mentioned on his social media platform Fact Social: “MAGA doesn’t Vote for silly individuals with massive mouths. Good luck Joe!”
Notably, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible rival to Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, made some extent of endorsing O’Dea, prompting criticism from Trump.
Colorado was a pink state, then purple and now more and more blue because it attracts well-educated transplants from locations like California drawn to its pure magnificence and robust economic system. Bennet’s re-election ought to give Democrats trigger for optimism as they give the impression of being to carry the state in 2024.
