2020 United States Senate election in Colorado


The 2020 United States Senate Election in Colorado will be held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Colorado, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Under Colorado law, the filing deadline for U.S. Senate candidates was March 17, 2020, the third Tuesday in March of the election year; the primary election occurred on June 30. Incumbent Republican Senator Cory Gardner is running for reelection to a second term, and will face Democratic former Governor John Hickenlooper in the general election. Gardner was unopposed in the Republican primary, and Hickenlooper defeated former State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary. Gardner is one of two Republican U.S. Senators facing reelection in 2020 in a state President Donald Trump lost in 2016, the other being Susan Collins from Maine.

Background

Cory Gardner was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, narrowly defeating incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Udall in a very successful election year for Republicans. Gardner is widely considered vulnerable in this election cycle due to Colorado's Democratic trend in recent cycles and his support for President Donald Trump. The seat is expected to be highly competitive and is widely considered the most likely Republican-held seat to flip Democratic. The Democratic nominee, former governor John Hickenlooper, has a double-digit lead over Gardner in the polls.
Various minor scandals in the days leading up to the June 30 Democratic primary sparked speculation that Romanoff might win, but Hickenlooper had an advantage in name recognition, and negative attacks by Romanoff reportedly led many state Democrats and voters to sour on him.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Endorsements

Polling

;with Dan Baer and John Hickenlooper
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Dan
Baer		John
Hickenlooper		Undecided
August 28–29, 2019509 –11%72%17%

;with John Hickenlooper and Mike Johnston
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		John
Hickenlooper		Mike
Johnston		Undecided
August 28–29, 2019509 –69%14%18%

;with John Hickenlooper and Alice Madden
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		John
Hickenlooper		Alice
Madden		Undecided
August 28–29, 2019509 –69%14%17%

;with John Hickenlooper and Angela Williams
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		John
Hickenlooper		Angela
Williams		Undecided
August 28–29, 2019509 –70%11%18%

Caucus

On March 7, 2020, the Colorado Democratic Party held a non-binding Senate primary preference poll at its caucus sites. Attendees could choose delegates to county and then state conventions. If a candidate received at least 30% of the delegates at the state convention they would be placed on the ballot. Some candidates were not listed because they instead chose to attempt to collect signatures to reach the ballot. Candidates needed 1,500 signatures from each congressional district. Hickenlooper and Underwood chose to do both. Romanoff collected the needed signatures as of March 8, 2020.

Caucus results

Romanoff was the only candidate to get more than 30% in the initial precinct caucuses. Hickenlooper withdrew from the assembly process soon afterward, choosing to qualify for the ballot exclusively by petition. Ballot access for assembly candidates will be decided at the state assembly. Caucus winners do not always receive the party's nomination; Romanoff won them in the 2010 Democratic primary for Colorado's Senate race, but Michael Bennet won the party's nomination that year.
The aggregate results of the various precinct caucuses on March 7, 2020, were:
CandidateTotal Raw VotesPercentage of Vote Won
Andrew Romanoff8,62954.98
John Hickenlooper4,76130.34
Trish Zornio9766.21
Stephany Rose Spaulding7714.91
Uncommitted5203.31
Erik Underwood350.22

Results

Other candidates

Libertarian primary

Nominee

Unity Party

Nominee

Declared

Predictions

Endorsements

Polling

;with generic Democrat
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Cory
Gardner 		Generic
Democrat		Other /
Undecided
August 13–14, 2019617± 3.9%38%48%14%
January 31 – February 4, 2019818± 3.4%40%51%9%
January 2–5, 2019550± 4.2%38%46%16%
December 2–4, 2018540± 4.2%41%47%–
August 2–3, 2017628± 3.8%41%46%13%
June 30 – July 1, 2017870± 3.6%39%53%8%

;on whether Cory Gardner deserves to be re-elected
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		YesNoOther /
Undecided
July 29–31, 2019600 ± 4.0%32%50%18%

;with Generic Republican and Generic Democrat
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Generic
Republican		Generic
Democrat		Other /
Undecided
July 29–31, 2019600 ± 4.0%42%44%14%

;with Mike Johnston
Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Cory
Gardner 		Mike
Johnston 		OtherUndecided
August 13–14, 2019617± 3.9%39%50%–11%
July 29–31, 2019600 ± 4.0%45%39%2%14%

Results