America's Voice

RESULT: Mark Udall 52% - Bob Schaffer 43%

The Race:

Wayne Allard, Colorado’s Republican Senator since 1997, announced in January 2007 that he would not seek re-election. When first elected, he promised not to serve more than two terms in the Senate. [Almanac of American Politics 2008, accessed 9/22/08] The Republican candidate for Allard’s seat, Bob Schaffer, represented Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003. [Bob Schaffer for Congress, accessed 9/18/08] The Democratic challenger, Mark Udall, served in the Colorado State House in 1997. Since 1998, Udall has represented Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House. [Mark Udall for Congress, accessed 9/18/08] Both Schaffer and Udall ran unopposed in their primaries. [National Journal, accessed 9/17/08]

Former Congressman Schaffer hopes to beat popular current Congressman Udall. Although polls have varied throughout the race, Udall has consistently been in the lead. [National Journal, accessed 10/2/08] According to Roll Call, the race lies in the hands of independent voters. [Roll Call, 8/26/08] Latino voters are also playing an important role in the race. The Denver Post reported that Udall’s edge in the race was due in large part to Latino voters. The paper called Latino voters an “Achilles’ heel for the [Republican] party in 2008.” [The Denver Post, 9/29/08]