Colorado Congressman Cory Gardner, a second-term Republican from the Eastern plains of the state, has announced that he will be entering the race for the US Senate, joining an already crowded field — but likely forcing much of that crowd out as Gardner becomes the immediate front-runner and a serious challenger to Senator Mark Udall who has been little more than a rubber stamp for the Obama administration. Gardner must be feeling somewhat confident, giving up one of the country’s safest Republican seats to run in a challenging Senate race.
Gardner’s move has major implications for both Colorado and national politics, a subject I will discuss at length in an article for these pages on Friday.