DENVER—Democrat Mark Udall drew backing from voters worried about the failing economy, health care and even the war in Iraq as he defeated conservative Republican Bob Schaffer for the U.S. Senate.
Udall’s victory on Tuesday will put both of Colorado’s U.S. Senate seats in Democratic control for the first time since the mid-1970s. It piggybacks on Barack Obama’s win as the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Colorado since 1992.
Udall, 58, will succeed two-term Republican Wayne Allard, who’s retiring from the Senate. “I confess to you, this is the toughest climb I’ve ever taken,” Udall, an avid mountaineer, told supporters in Denver.
He also was quick to say that his emphasis will be on “red, white and blue.”
“The best ideas aren’t Democratic or Republican Party ideas,” Udall said. “They’re American ideas. I ran my campaign on that theme and people responded.”
Schaffer congratulated Udall and asked Republicans to support the senator-elect.
“Here’s what we need to keep in mind: Good campaigns don’t end on Election Day,” he said. “Win or lose, if the ideas matter, if the values are for real, if the vision is clear, we just keep going. We keep right on fighting, for the values we hold close.”
With 66 percent of the projected voted counted, Udall, who has served in the House since 1997, led Schaffer 53 percent to 43 percent.
Udall’s victory increases the Democratic majority to at least 56 seats in the 100-member Senate. His cousin, Democratic Rep. Tom Udall, captured an open Senate seat in New Mexico.
An Associated Press poll conducted over the past week showed that Hispanic voters and those concerned about the war in Iraq, the economy and health care overwhelmingly supported Udall.
He also drew his strength from moderates, according to the poll. Schaffer drew support from evangelical Christians and his strongest base of support was in eastern Colorado, an area he represented when he was in Congress.
A majority of voters who rated the nation’s energy as their No. 1 concern backed Schaffer, who had accused Udall of blocking domestic energy production by opposing drilling.
Udall has said the country needs varied forms of energy and is a strong proponent of renewable energy as well as investing in infrastructure to repair the nation’s crumbling bridges and roads.
As at least 2,500 Democrats celebrated early election results at a downtown hotel, Udall surrounded himself with friends and family, “trying to soak it in,” as he put it.
Leo Bongiovanni, 26, a college student and Starbucks employee, watched the returns on big-screen televisions. “It’s just like a landmark election. It’s history,” said Bongiovanni, a Udall supporter.
Udall’s roots run deep in the West, where Democrats have had to play to the center to win elections. His father, the late Rep. Morris K. “Mo” Udall, D-Ariz., headed the House Interior Committee for 14 years and ran for president. His uncle, Stewart Udall, is a former Democratic congressman from Arizona and interior secretary in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
“We’re at peak Udalls,” Randy Udall said of the election wins by his brother, Mark, and Tom Udall.
Ten years ago, Randy Udall said he wasn’t sure his brother could have been elected to the Senate. “But the nation has changed and he’s grown,” he said.
