Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the presidential election have been getting a lot of attention because of how much seems to be at stake. However, a large shift in the white house isn't the only thing at stake. This election year, there are also 24 republican seats which are up for reelection. Given that there is only an 8 seat differential between the parties, there is a potential that the Democrats could once again hold a majority in the senate. Of all the senate seats up for reelection, there are at least ten that are going to be competitive between the parties. One of those seats up for reelection is the seat for Colorado, currently held by democrat Michael Bennet. Michal Bennet and his drive for reelection are particularly interesting because they are so reflective of what is happening this election year. The republican party just can’t seem to find any one member to unify under. In other words, the election in Colorado isn’t decided yet, but if things keep going the way they are then Michael bennet could cruise to an easy victory. Party squabbles Michael Bennet currently has no primary challenges in the Democratic Party, yet the republican party has a slew of over 11 candidates which no one has unified under yet. What’s even more interesting is that Colorado is a purple state which makes it very important if the democrats want to take control of the senate. In fact, the story of Michael Bennet is almost like a parable to the presidential election. Many mainstream republican party members resent trump and were frantically trying to block trump’s nomination. Likewise, the republican establishment in Colorado doesn’t like any of their candidates and is stuck picking between the 4 most prominent “second rate” candidates as well as one other libertarian. Finance Besides General electability, the republicans have another problem facing them in the Colorado elections: Finance. In a way, this problem is also derived from the fact that the republicans can’t seem to agree on a candidate. If the party organization does not direct its voters towards a specific candidate then it is extremely hard for any of the candidates to get any fundraising money. This is especially the case because none for the current republican candidates in Colorado can seem to distinguish themselves from their competitors. In order to get noticed, a candidate needs funding but in order to get funding you need to get noticed. However, on the other side of the isle, Michael Bennet has raised 7.3 million dollars and is spending it full force. The national and state level republican party organizations haven’t even booked the required air time for television ads or even allocated any funds for it. As a result the republican party probably isn’t even going to be
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Another way that this election mimics the general election is that, like Hillary Clinton, Michael Bennet is generally unliked amongst those in the general election. In fact, if the republicans hadn’t been so disorganized this election year then there was a very good chance that Michael Bennet wouldn’t have stood a chance against any republican challenger. Last year, Michael Bennet’s approval ratings dropped to an estimated 40 % or so. Many republicans point to the 2014 elections as a model for further success in Colorado. During that election year, the incumbent democratic senator Mark Udall was also polling extremely low. As a result, it was easy for a relatively new handsome republican challenger named Cory Gardner to oust him. From the very beginning he was very charismatic and as a result, republican leadership was able to rally behind him. However, this time around, there are no such charismatic candidates to unite the leaderships. In fact, many of the republican candidates in the Colorado election resemble trump-like figures. A few are wealthy millionaires and all of the prominent candidates try to claim that they are separate from the political system.
Overall, a question still remains about whether Michael Bennet will be able to live up to his expected easy victory, or if the republicans will be able to raise a challenge. It is clear though, that Michael Bennet has a sizeable lead. What happens in Colorado may predict who will be able to win the presidential general election. Not to mention, it may be a critical state for determining whether the democrats retake a majority in the
Another way that this election mimics the general election is that, like Hillary Clinton, Michael Bennet is generally unliked amongst those in the general election. In fact, if the republicans hadn’t been so disorganized this election year then there was a very good chance that Michael Bennet wouldn’t have stood a chance against any republican challenger. Last year, Michael Bennet’s approval ratings dropped to an estimated 40 % or so. Many republicans point to the 2014 elections as a model for further success in Colorado. During that election year, the incumbent democratic senator Mark Udall was also polling extremely low. As a result, it was easy for a relatively new handsome republican challenger named Cory Gardner to oust him. From the very beginning he was very charismatic and as a result, republican leadership was able to rally behind him. However, this time around, there are no such charismatic candidates to unite the leaderships. In fact, many of the republican candidates in the Colorado election resemble trump-like figures. A few are wealthy millionaires and all of the prominent candidates try to claim that they are separate from the political system.
Overall, a question still remains about whether Michael Bennet will be able to live up to his expected easy victory, or if the republicans will be able to raise a challenge. It is clear though, that Michael Bennet has a sizeable lead. What happens in Colorado may predict who will be able to win the presidential general election. Not to mention, it may be a critical state for determining whether the democrats retake a majority in the