US Senate 2020 Election

This page is for the 2020 primary and general election of the U.S. Senate seat (Class 2) currently held by Republican Cory Gardner. It will be a seat that will be watched nationally and potentially treated as a bellwether. It had served as such when Gardner was first elected to it in 2014 in the second wave of Tea Party election cycles. Gardner defeated the incumbent Democrat Mark Udall, who had himself flipped the seat from GOP control in 2008.

The U.S. Senate, as of the 2018 election, has a balance of power of +6. Going into the 2019 session, the GOP holds 53 seats (plus the Vice President to break ties, should enough Republican Senators break ranks). The Democrats have 47, which includes two independents who caucus with Democrats (Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine). This means that U.S. Senate Democrats need to hold their caucus 100%, plus get 4 GOP senators to flip in order to pass or deny any legislation, while also avoiding the Vice Presidential tie-breaking.

Due to the vote in the 2016 General Election to amend the state constitution to eliminate the presidential caucus, the 2020 Caucus will be about this U.S. Senate seat as it is what will be the effective top-of-ticket position.

U.S. Senate seats are not districted. They represent and are voted by registered voters throughout the entire state.

General Background

The U.S. Senate has 2 seats for every state. With 50 states, there are 100 seats in the body. Terms last 6 years with no limits on terms won and served. The U.S. Senate is divided into three classes: Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. This is due to election cycles. Every 2 years is a regular federal election. The U.S. House has all 435 seats up every two years, but the senate has one-third up every two years. One cycle, Class 1 seats are up, two years later are Class 2, and two years after that are Class 3.

Colorado has Class 2 and Class 3 seats. Michael Bennet has the Class 3 seat, which will be up in 2022.

Previous Election Results

For this specific seat (Class 2).

Seat	Current Holder	Next Election	2014 Election	2008 Election (Presidential Year) (Obama +8.95)
U.S. Senate-CO (Class 2)	Cory Gardner (Republican)	2020	1.95% (48.21%) Mark Udall 46.26% Gaylon Kent 2.59% (Libertarian) Steve Shogan 1.44% (Unaffiliated) Raul Acosta 1.18% (Unaffiliated) Bill Hammons 0.31% (Unity Party) Defeated Dem Incumbent	10.3% (52.8%) (Mark Udall) Bob Schaffer 42.49% Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell 2.56% (Constitution) Bob Kinsey 2.14% (Green) (Total Write-Ins 135 votes) Flipped from GOP to Dem control

Other Statewide Seat Election Results

U.S. Senate Class 3 (Michael Bennet)

Seat	Current Holder	Next Election	2016 Election (Presidential Year) (Clinton +4.91)	2010 Election
U.S. Senate-CO (Class 3)	Michael Bennet (Democrat)	2022	5.66% (49.97%) Darryl Glenn 44.31% Lily Tang Williams 3.6% (Libertarian) Arn Menconi 1.34% (Green) Bill Hammons 0.34% (Unity) Dan Chapin 0.3% (Unaffiliated) Paul Noel Fiorino 0.12% (Unaffiliated)	1.68% (48.08%) Ken Buck 46.4% Bob Kinsey 2.19% (Green) Maclyn "Mac" Stringer 1.27% (Libertarian) Jason Napolitano 1.09% (INR) Charley Miller 0.64% (Unaffiliated) J. Moromisato 0.32% (Unaffiliated) Total Write-Ins 83 votes

ALL STATEWIDES - President, U.S. Senator, Governor, SoS, AG, Treasurer, CU Regents At-Large

Seat	Current Holder	Next Election	2018 Election	2016 Election (Presidential Year)	2014 Election	2012 Election (Presidential Year)	2010 Election	2008 Election (Presidential Year)
President	Donald Trump (Republican) Democrats have won 2016, 2012, 2008	2020	X	4.91% (48.16%) (Hillary Clinton) Donald Trump 43.25% Gary Johnson 5.18% (Libertarian) Jill Stein 1.38% (Green) Other Third Party 2.03%	X	5.36% (51.49%) (Barack Obama) Mitt Romney 46.13% Gary Johnson 1.38% (Libertarian) Jill Stein 0.29% (Green) Other Third Party 0.71%	X	8.96% (53.66%) (Barack Obama) John McCain 44.7% Bob Barr 0.45% (Libertarian) Cynthia McKinney 0.12% (Green) Other Third Party 1.07%
U.S. Senate-CO (Class 2)	Cory Gardner (Republican)	2020	X	X	1.95% (48.21%) Mark Udall 46.26% Gaylon Kent 2.59% (Libertarian) Steve Shogan 1.44% (Unaffiliated) Raul Acosta 1.18% (Unaffiliated) Bill Hammons 0.31% (Unity Party) Defeated Dem Incumbent	X	X	10.3% (52.8%) (Mark Udall) Bob Schaffer 42.49% Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell 2.56% (Constitution) Bob Kinsey 2.14% (Green) (Total Write-Ins 135 votes) Flipped from GOP to Dem control
U.S. Senate-CO (Class 3)	Michael Bennet (Democrat)	2022	X	5.66% (49.97%) Darryl Glenn 44.31% Lily Tang Williams 3.6% (Libertarian) Arn Menconi 1.34% (Green) Bill Hammons 0.34% (Unity) Dan Chapin 0.3% (Unaffiliated) Paul Noel Fiorino 0.12% (Unaffiliated)	X	X	1.68% (48.08%) Ken Buck 46.4% Bob Kinsey 2.19% (Green) Maclyn "Mac" Stringer 1.27% (Libertarian) Jason Napolitano 1.09% (INR) Charley Miller 0.64% (Unaffiliated) J. Moromisato 0.32% (Unaffiliated) Total Write-Ins 83 votes	X
Governor	Jared Polis (Democrat)	2022	10.62% (53.42%) Walker Stapleton 42.8% Scott Helker 2.75% (Libertarian) Bill Hammons 1.02% (Unity)	X	3.34% (49.29%) (John Hickenlooper) Bob Beauprez 45.95% Matthew Hess 1.94% (Libertarian) Harry Hempy 1.3% (Green) Mike Dunafon 1.18% (Unaffiliated) Paul Noel Fiorino 0.29% (Unaffiliated) Total Write-Ins 31 votes	X	14.67% (51.05%) (John Hickenlooper) Tom Tancredo 36.38% (Constitution) Dan Maes 11.14% Jaimes Brown 0.74% (Libertarian) Jason R. Clark 0.48% (Unaffiliated) Paul Noel Fiorino 0.19% (Unaffiliated) Total Write-Ins 86 votes	X
Secretary of State	Jena Griswold (Democrat)	2022	8.01% (52.7%) Wayne Williams 44.69% Amanda Campbell 2.08% (Constitution) Blake Huber 0.53% (Approval Party) Defeated GOP incumbent First Dem elected to this position in 60 years.	X	2.36% (47.34%) (Wayne Williams) Joe Neguse 44.98% Amanda Campbell 3.95% (Constitution) Dave Schambach 3.73% (Libertarian)	X	5.65% (49.52%) (Scott Gessler) Bernie Buescher 43.87% Amanda Campbell 6.6% (Constitution) Defeated Dem incumbent Dem was appointed	X
Attorney General	Phil Weiser (Democrat)	2022	6.44% (51.58%) George Brauchler 45.14% William F. Robinson III 3.28% (Libertarian) Flip from GOP control to Dem	X	9.05% (51.43%) (Cynthia Coffman) Don Quick 42.38% David K. Williams 6.19% (Libertarian)	X	12.65% (56.32%) (John Suthers) Stan Garnett 43.67%	X
Treasurer	Dave Young (Democrat)	2022	7.3% (52.23%) Brian Watson 44.93% Gerald F. Kilpatrick 2.85% (Constitution) Flip from GOP control to Dem	X	4.93% (49.87%) (Walker Stapleton) Betsy Markey 44.94% David Jurist 5.18% (Libertarian)	X	1.4% (50.7%) (Walker Stapleton) Cary Kennedy 49.3% Defeated Dem incumbent	X
CU Regent, At-Large (Seat 1)	Heidi Ganahl (Republican)	2022	X	2.22% (51.11%) Alice Madden 43.34%	X	X	6.59% (50.52%) (Steve Bosley) Melissa Hart 43.93% Jesse B. Wallace 5.54% (Libertarian)	X
CU Regent, At-Large (Seat 2)	Lesley Smith (Democrat)	2024	8.93% (51.95%) Ken Montera 43.02% James K. Treibert 3.82% (Libertarian) Christopher E. Otwell 1.21% (Unity)	X	X	2.65% (42.25%) (Stephen Ludwig) Brian Davidson 39.6% Daniel Ong 4.74% (Libertarian) Tyler Belmont 2.5% (Constitution)	X	X

Gardner Voting History

• How Gardner Votes compared to Trump (Five Thirty Eight)
  • Gardner is consistently in the 90s in terms of Trump Score

• Confirmations through May 11, 2017 (The New York Times)

• Voting Record (Voting Smart)

• On The Issues (On The Issues)