Sen. Cory Gardner is poised to cast one of the votes that places President Donald Trump's nominee Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court just before the election. And Colorado Democrats think they have the votes to punish him for it Nov. 3.
FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2020, file photo Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner speaks during a debate with Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in Denver. Gardner's re-election hinges on convincing the state's crucial slice of independent voters he's a nonpartisan problem-solver who will look out for the state.
Gardner has long been considered both one of the nimblest Republican politicians and also one of the most vulnerable. His 2014 run was praised as the best Senate campaign that year for defusing Democratic attacks about his role in a “war on women” and staying on message.
“I’m saying a prayer he doesn’t get swept out by our president,” said Linda Heintz, 71, a registered Republican in suburban Denver who plans to vote early for Gardner. Heintz still hasn’t decided whether she can vote for Trump but figured Gardner was a no-brainer.“He’s done nothing to not deserve reelection,” she said, acknowledging she doesn’t think many others in the state agree with her view.
GOP pollster David Flaherty noted that the Barrett nomination is especially difficult for Gardner. The independents he needs to win aren’t just non-partisan, they’re anti-partisanship, disliking even “the impression of partisan decision-making,” he said. Republicans’ push to confirm Barrett before the election, when they thwarted Democrats’ attempt at a less-rushed confirmation four years ago, is a tough sell.
Gardner exemplifies the bind several Republicans have found themselves in during the Trump era. In 2016, he reluctantly endorsed Trump, only to withdraw his endorsement after the “Access Hollywood” tape revealed Trump had boasted about sexually assaulting women. Gardner swiftly endorsed Trump’s reelection in early 2019, and during the rally in late February, Trump returned the favor. “Cory is a champion for the people of Colorado,” Trump told a packed arena in the conservative stronghold of Colorado Springs.
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