Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
Sen. Michael Bennet has been elected to his third full term as Colorado’s senior senator, according to three major networks, defeating Republican rival Joe O’Dea in a tighter-than-expected race.
Bennet was not originally considered a vulnerable candidate in a state that has grown increasingly blue in recent cycles. Unprecedentedly popular in the state’s mountain and rural counties, Bennet initially outpolled O’Dea by double digits among likely Colorado voters, who backed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election by nearly 14 points.
But a challenging national environment for Democratic incumbents, exacerbated by Biden’s low approval ratings, reinvigorated Colorado’s historical reputation as a swing state in the closing weeks of the campaign.