Confirming the suspicions of many, the senior senator from Colorado has announced he will not seek a third term in 2008. As to whether or not this helps/hurts the GOP or the Democrats, well there are multiple views on that. What is clear is that Colorado's Senate race should be one of the most competitive in the nation, and one of the Democrats' best pick-up opportunities of the cycle. Congressman Mark Udall will almost certainly be the Democratic nominee. The Republicans will likely have a contested primary. The Republican name getting the most discussion at this point seems to be former Congressman Scott McInnis.
For you trivia types, Allard's announcement means that the unusual level of turnover, and especially voluntary retirements, in Colorado's Senate seats will continue. Colorado senators Hart, Armstrong, Wirth, Brown and Campbell and now Allard form a string of consecutively-serving senators who chose to voluntarily retire after only one or two terms in office. And Colorado hasn't had a 3-term senator since Gordon Allott was defeated in 1973. And given the retirements by Senator Campbell and now Senator Allard, it won't have one again until 2017 at the earliest (if Senator Salazar stays in the Senate and keeps getting reelected).
Posted by armand at January 15, 2007 05:23 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Politics