It's coming down to the wire in the race for Colorado's Senate seat, as the most recent polling analysis of the state's matchup shows Republican Ken Buck leading Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet by a single point, 49 to 48.
Earlier this year Democrats would have been thrilled to know that they'd be neck and neck for the vital Centennial State U.S. Senate seat, a contest that some polling suggested would be an impossibly tough battle for Bennet, an appointee named to fill the vacated seat of former Senator and current Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Hopes brightened for Democrats slightly, however, when Tea Party-backed Ken Buck won a GOP primary in August over Jane Norton, an establishment candidate who polled more strongly against Bennet.
And now Democrats are trumpeting recent early polling data as a sign that the momentum may be shifting in a race that has already drained upwards of $25 million from outside groups, and $40 million in total.
Politico reported Sunday about the advance data:
Colorado Democrats seized on new early election data as a sign of momentum for appointed Sen. Michael Bennet, with the GOP advantage winnowing to 4.9 percent in main-in and early ballots cast so far, down 1 percent from earlier this week. "Momentum and history are on our side," Bennet's campaign boasted in a memo.
With such slim margins, some are already forecasting an electoral showdown that will require litigation and a recount to decide.
"We have a legal team that's working on election protection and is also working on a recount plan," state Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak told the Denver Post.
Dick Wadhams, Colorado's GOP chairman, gave a similar response, telling the Post that he had "a legal team ready to go into action."
Democrats, seeing their Senate majority on the line, are now channeling any potential energy toward tipping the scales for Bennet in order to hold this crucial lifeline. After having hammered Buck repeatedly on a variety of controversial positions, Democrats are now seeking to capitalize on a recent article in the Denver Post that reported alleged "unethical misconduct" regarding an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint involving Buck from years ago.
Republicans have explained the piece as a "desperate attack" by the Bennet campaign, and attempted to refocus the media on claims that the senator had a conflict of interest regarding his stock holdings and a tenure deal he made during his time as Superintendent of Denver public schools.