Colorado analysis (1/19/07)

So, a couple of days ago, Senator Wayne Allard announced that he will not seek a third terh in the Senate. As he had a two-term pledge, this was not too surprising, but there had been some whisperings that he would renege on his pledge. In any case, this election just got a bit harder for the GOP to win (as this was already the most competitive race). Democratic Congressman Mark Udall is already the runaway favorite for his party's nomination, barring an entry into the race by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and figures to be the favorite for the general election as well. The Republican field is decidedly weak, featuring three ex-congressmen and an ex-governor. However, only two of those four (Ex-Congressmen Scott McInnis and Bob Schaffer) are actually expected to run. McInnis, the more conservative of the two, is probably favored for the nomination at this point purely due to name recognition in his homestate, but that could all change. Right now, Udall is favored, but if Ex-Governor Bill Owens jumps into the race, it'll be a toss-up.