McConnell says he’s “all in” on Colorado Senate race

Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made a shock look Tuesday evening at a Capitol Hill fundraiser for Joe O’Dea, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Colorado who’s pledging to compete aggressively for Democrat Michael Bennet’s seat.

Why it issues: With indicators Republican candidates might face struggles in battleground states together with Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia, the celebration’s hopes of retaking the bulk might rely upon bluer Colorado.

Driving the information: “I simply wish to guarantee everyone, we’ll be all-in in Colorado,” McConnell advised the assembled crowd, in response to an individual who attended the occasion.

• Calling O’Dea “the right candidate for the character of your state,” McConnell emphasised: “We expect we are able to win this race.”
• “I wished to dispel any notion that you will have that we’re not going to play in Colorado.”

Particulars: Additionally in attendance: Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Rick Scott, Senate Republican Whip John Thune, Republican Senate convention chairman John Barrasso and former Sen. Cory Gardner, the final Republican to win a Senate race in Colorado.

By the numbers: Colorado backed President Biden by 13 factors and hasn’t voted for a GOP president since 2004. However Republicans level to Gardner’s surprising victory in 2014 in a purple wave as a blueprint for O’Dea.

Huge image: O’Dea is a political unicorn for the celebration at a time when Republican voters desire MAGA-aligned candidates.

• In an interview with Axios, he referred to as himself a pro-choice centrist who’s working a marketing campaign centered on tackling inflation and cracking down on crime.
• “We’d like extra reasonable candidates. We’d like candidates that may win in Colorado. Should you’re to date to the appropriate that you could’t win a purple state, that’s a non-starter,” O’Dea mentioned.