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
…show more content…
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