In today's Denver Post, a report chronicling Democrat Mark Udall's bid for the U.S. Senate suggested a reality far different than the one we all live in.
From the Post: "Standing in front of a bank of cameras in Grand Junction, the five-term congressman [Udall] got perhaps the one question . . . he didn't expect: 'So, do you think you've got this thing pretty much wrapped up?' asked a reporter from the city's independent weekly."
Wrapped up? Hardly. Poll after poll, reflecting in part the state's slight GOP registration advantage, shows this race anything but finished. While the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Udall at 47 percent to Schaffer's 41 percent, this merely reflects grueling, consistent, and critical coverage against Schaffer.
For his part, Udall responded to the reporter's question: "I'm not mailing this in. This is going to be a competitive state."
If Schaffer can come back strong, exploiting Udall's extremely liberal voting record and unbalanced approach to energy conservation and exploration, he's right back in the game.