Mark Udall has now moved to within 2% of Gardner

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This election (mainly Beauprez's defeat, but also the fact Gardner barely won despite the combination of running a perfect campaign, Udall's piss-poor campaign, a GOP tsunami, general backlash against CO Dems, and Hispanic turnout not cratered) showed a few things:

1. Ken Buck's surprise loss in 2010 was not a fluke, although the phomenon isn't as strong as in Nevada, Democrats often do beat the polling here (in addition to Hickenlooper, I believe Udall and Don Quick slightly beat the polls, and Joe Neguse only lost by 2.6% despite polls consistently showing him down by 4-7 points). 

2. At this point, Republicans basically need a perfect storm to win statewide against a strong, credible, and well-funded Democrat in Colorado (this may well change, but Cory Gardners are pretty rare and someone like Beauprez, Coffman, or Wayne Williams won't cut it anymore except in a Republican wave atm, unless the Dem blows it).