Endangered Republican senators aren't explicitly distancing themselves from President Trump yet ahead of Election Day 2020, but they have found a new way to try and find cross-party appeal — sidling up to their state's Democratic governors.
Last week, Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner — seen by both Democrats and Republicans alike to be the most vulnerable GOP incumbent — released his first TV ad. It was coronavirus-focused as most are these days, but it didn't tout the 100 ventilators he got for his state thanks to the White House (after the federal government blocked Colorado's purchase of 500). Instead, he focused on PPE and tests he was able to secure from South Korea and Taiwan. Most notably, the ad also features a clip of Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, elected in 2018 by a 10 point margin, praising Gardner for "doing everything I've asked to help with our response."
Gardner has to play up his bipartisan credentials if he has any hope of winning in a state that Trump lost in 2016 by five points, a margin expected
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.