The race for the Colorado Senate seat is a dead heat between sitting Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, who made a late entry in the race, according to a poll released Monday.
The poll, from Rasmussen Reports, found Udall and Gardner locked in a tie, 42 percent to 41 percent, a difference that sits within the margin of error.
Gardner had initially said he would not run for the seat, and Udall was viewed as, if not safe, at least not a prime target for Republicans to pick up a seat. But two weeks ago, as polls showed Udall vulnerable to a weaker field of Republican candidates, Gardner changed his mind and entered the race, putting it in play.
The Republican hopeful did what he could to avoid a primary — one candidate dropped out when he entered the race, another, Ken Buck, announced he would change elections and run for Gardner’s seat, instead. That leaves state Sens. Owen Hill and Randy Baumgarten, whom Gardner will have to best in the June primary.
Rasmussen polled 500 likely voters in Colorado from March 5-6. The poll has a plus or minus 4.5 percentage point margin of error.