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Bennet: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Buck: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Colorado |
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The 2010 United States Senate election in Colorado took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama nominated incumbent U.S. Senator Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior. [1] After Salazar resigned from his seat, [2] Democratic governor Bill Ritter appointed Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to fill the seat.
Bennet won a full term, defeating former state House speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary, and Republican nominee Ken Buck in the general election. [3] [4] With a margin of 1.7%, this election was the second closest race of the 2010 Senate election cycle after the concurrent one in Illinois.
Bennet
Romanoff
Poll Source | Dates Administered | Michael Bennet | Andrew Romanoff | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Tarrance Group [10] | September 16–17, 2009 | 41% | 27% | 32% |
Public Policy Polling [11] | May 19, 2010 | 46% | 31% | 23% |
Survey USA [12] | June 15–17, 2010 | 53% | 36% | 11% |
Survey USA [13] | August 1, 2010 | 45% | 48% | 7% |
Public Policy Polling [14] | August 7–8, 2010 | 49% | 43% | 9% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Michael Bennet (incumbent) | 184,714 | 54.15% | |
Democratic | Andrew Romanoff | 156,419 | 45.85% | |
Total votes | 341,133 | 100.0% |
According to her website: [26] [27]
Poll Source | Dates Administered | Ken Buck | Jane Norton |
---|---|---|---|
The Tarrance Group [29] | September 16–17, 2009 | 15% | 45% |
Public Policy Polling [30] | March 3, 2010 | 17% | 34% |
Magellan [31] | March 14, 2010 | 13% | 41% |
Magellan [31] | April 19, 2010 | 32% | 29% |
Public Policy Polling [11] | May 19, 2010 | 26% | 31% |
Magellan [31] | June 8, 2010 | 42% | 32% |
Survey USA [32] | June 15–17, 2010 | 53% | 37% |
Public Opinion Strategies [33] | June 20–21, 2010 | 33% | 39% |
Survey USA [13] | August 1, 2010 | 50% | 41% |
Public Policy Polling [14] | August 7–8, 2010 | 43% | 45% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ken Buck | 211,099 | 51.57% | |
Republican | Jane Norton | 198,231 | 48.43% | |
Total votes | 409,330 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Libertarian | Mac Stringer | 1,186 | 52.45% | |
Libertarian | John Finger | 1,075 | 47.55% | |
Total votes | 2,261 | 100.0% |
Source: Official Candidate List [ permanent dead link ]
This was one of the most expensive elections in the nation, as more than $30 million was spent by outside organizations. [35] Conservative third party groups hammered Bennet for voting 92% of the time with the Democratic leadership, including voting for healthcare reform and the stimulus package. [36] Liberal third party groups called Buck extremist. Bennet focused on attacking Buck's views on abortion, which he believed should be banned including those of cases of rape and incest. He was also attacked for wanting to eliminate the Seventeenth Amendment [37] and refusing to prosecute an alleged rapist as Weld County district attorney. Planned Parenthood mounted a mail campaign, targeting women voters with the warning that "Colorado women can't trust Ken Buck." Bennet won the women vote by 17 points according to exit polls. After the election, Buck conceded to the Denver Post that the main reason why he lost is because of social issues. [38]
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Cook Political Report [40] | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
Inside Elections [41] | Tossup | October 22, 2010 |
RealClearPolitics [42] | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [43] | Lean R (flip) | October 21, 2010 |
CQ Politics [44] | Tossup | October 26, 2010 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Michael Bennet (D) | Ken Buck (R) |
---|---|---|---|
Public Policy Polling [45] | April 17–19, 2009 | 40% | 39% |
Public Policy Polling [46] | August 14–16, 2009 | 39% | 35% |
Rasmussen Reports [47] | September 9, 2009 | 43% | 37% |
Rasmussen Reports [48] | December 8, 2009 | 38% | 42% |
Daily Kos/Research 2000 [49] | January 11–13, 2010 | 41% | 38% |
Rasmussen Reports [50] | January 13, 2010 | 38% | 43% |
Rasmussen Reports [51] | February 2, 2010 | 41% | 45% |
Rasmussen Reports [52] | March 2, 2010 | 38% | 44% |
Public Policy Polling [53] | March 5–8, 2010 | 47% | 40% |
Rasmussen Reports [51] | April 5, 2010 | 40% | 44% |
Rasmussen Reports [51] | May 3, 2010 | 41% | 48% |
Public Policy Polling [54] | May 19, 2010 | 45% | 39% |
Rasmussen Reports [55] | June 7, 2010 | 41% | 46% |
Survey USA [32] | June 15–17, 2010 | 43% | 46% |
Rasmussen Reports [56] | July 8, 2010 | 39% | 48% |
Rasmussen Reports [57] | July 26, 2010 | 42% | 48% |
Survey USA [58] | August 1, 2010 | 43% | 43% |
Public Policy Polling [59] | August 10, 2010 | 46% | 43% |
Rasmussen Reports [60] | August 11, 2010 | 41% | 46% |
Ipsos/Reuters [61] | August 20–22, 2010 | 40% | 49% |
Rasmussen Reports [62] | August 30, 2010 | 44% | 47% |
Rasmussen Reports [63] | September 14, 2010 | 45% | 49% |
CNN/Time [64] | September 17–21, 2010 | 44% | 49% |
Rasmussen Reports [60] | September 27, 2010 | 43% | 51% |
Rasmussen Reports [65] | September 27, 2010 | 43% | 51% |
McClatchy/Marist [66] | September 26–28, 2010 | 42% | 50% |
Survey USA [67] | September 28–30, 2010 | 43% | 48% |
Public Policy Polling [68] | September 30 – October 2, 2010 | 46% | 45% |
Rasmussen Reports [60] | October 14, 2010 | 45% | 47% |
Fox News/Pulse Opinion Research [69] | October 16, 2010 | 45% | 46% |
Ipsos/Reuters [70] | October 18, 2010 | 45% | 48% |
SurveyUSA [71] | October 19–21, 2010 | 47% | 47% |
Public Policy Polling [72] | October 21–23, 2010 | 47% | 47% |
Rasmussen Reports [60] | October 25, 2010 | 44% | 48% |
CNN/Time/Opinion Research [73] | October 20–26, 2010 | 46% | 47% |
Marist College [74] | October 26–28, 2010 | 45% | 49% |
Fox News/Pulse Opinion Research [69] | October 30, 2010 | 46% | 50% |
Public Policy Polling [75] | October 30–31, 2010 | 48% | 49% |
These totals reflect the campaign accounts of the candidates themselves, and do not include independent expenditures by other groups.
Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt |
---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Bennet (D) | $11,463,661 | $10,698,578 | $763,541 | $887,692 |
Ken Buck (R) | $3,827,432 | $3,011,656 | $1,039,994 | $100,000 |
Source: Federal Election Commission [76] |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Michael Bennet (incumbent) | 854,685 | 48.08% | −3.22% | |
Republican | Ken Buck | 824,789 | 46.40% | −0.13% | |
Green | Bob Kinsey | 38,884 | 2.19% | N/A | |
Libertarian | Maclyn Stringer | 22,646 | 1.27% | +0.79% | |
Independent | Jason Napolitano | 19,450 | 1.09% | N/A | |
Independent | Charley Miller | 11,351 | 0.64% | N/A | |
Independent | J. Moromisato | 5,780 | 0.33% | N/A | |
Write-in | 83 | 0.07% | N/A | ||
Total votes | 1,777,668 | 100.0% | |||
Democratic hold |
Kenneth Lee Salazar is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martínez (R-Florida) were the first Hispanic U.S. senators since 1977; they were joined by Bob Menendez in 2006. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, he served as Attorney General of Colorado from 1999 to 2005.
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Harlan Andrew Romanoff is an American politician and public servant. A Democrat, he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, serving as Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2009. He was the Democratic nominee for Colorado's 6th congressional district in 2014 and twice sought the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate. He began his career at the Southern Poverty Law Center, founded the Posner Center for International Development, and has led two nonprofit organizations: Mental Health Colorado, and Great Expectations. On January 16th, 2024, he was named Executive Director for Disability Law Colorado, a non-profit legal and advocacy organization which advocates for and provides legal representation for people with disabilities.
Jane Ellen Norton is an American politician who was the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado and an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in the 2010 election. She lost the nomination to Weld County District Attorney and Tea Party favorite Ken Buck. While in office, Norton was notable for leading a successful effort to outlaw gay marriage in Colorado.
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Michael Farrand Bennet is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to the seat when Senator Ken Salazar became Secretary of the Interior. Bennet previously worked as a managing director for the Anschutz Investment Company, chief of staff to Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, and superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
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See also: 2012 United States Senate elections
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Debate
Official campaign websites (Archived)