Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican challenger Ken Buck were locked in the country’s closest U.S. Senate race as the vote tally headed into the homestretch this morning.
The race, which most polls predicted would be tight, lived up to expectations. As of 12:30 a.m., the candidates stood only a few thousand votes apart, each with about 47 percent of the vote.
The slim margin furthered pre-election talk of a possible recount, which would be required by law if the difference between the two candidates’ vote totals is less than one-half of 1 percent of the highest total.
But first, provisional and military ballots would need to be counted — and there were indications that those numbers could be significant. So while Election Day went into overtime, declaration of a winner could extend the drama another month. (A recount must be completed by Dec. 2.)
Democrats were already saying they may add lawyers to a team they had previously assembled for voting and recount issues.
Asked whether the process could be contentious, Democratic state party chair Pat Waak said: “There’s a lot at stake here. It’s no small process. We’re committed to making sure Michael Bennet is treated fairly and that the people who voted for him are treated fairly.”
The result carries major implications for the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
Although a net gain of 10 seats for Republicans would allow them to assume the majority, late returns suggested they would narrow the gap but fall short of gaining control.
All night, both parties exuded optimism.
“We are seeing a groundswell of support for Michael across the state, and that’s encouraging,” said Trevor Kincaid, Bennet’s campaign spokesman.
At the GOP gathering in Greenwood Village, the crowd morphed from sleepy to elated as the night dragged on and returns showed Buck closing the gap.
“Buck! Buck! Buck!” the crowd chanted as Fox News put the candidates within a percentage point apart.
“We’re optimistic right now. There’s still a lot of votes out there in rural Colorado and El Paso County,” said Buck spokesman Owen Loftus. “Ken is optimistic. . . . We’re seeing our race’s margin narrow.”
Earlier, state Republican chairman Dick Wadhams made the rounds at the GOP party, oozing confidence as he described the difference between 2008 and 2010 as “immeasurable.”
“We’re going to win,” he predicted. “Ken Buck is going to be the senator. You can’t even compare it to 2008 — I was waiting for the guillotine (then), hoping it wouldn’t be too painful.”
Already looking forward, he said the constantly shifting political climate makes Colorado an interesting stage.
“It’s always completely different every year, different issues,” he said. “And it’s all going to be different again in 2012. We start tomorrow.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall added that the Democrats’ computer modeling suggested that Bennet was hitting his projections in every part of the state.
“It appears our get-out-the-vote operation is producing,” Udall said.
But he added that it felt odd not to be running a race of his own.
“You get used to being on the ballot,” he said. “I’m like a parent who’s watching his kids go out and battle. But I’m listening to voters as well. They’re saying, ‘Get to work on jobs, and please work together.’ “
While Democratic Party leaders huddled behind a curtained-off area of a hotel ballroom to check computer results, Jessie Ulibarri, part of a coalition of Latino get-out-the-vote groups, said high voter turnout among Latinos will help shape 2012 no matter who wins the Senate race.
“We’ll refocus and show how big the Latino voting bloc has become,” Ulibarri said. “It’s a long battle. We’ll continue fighting.”
In Colorado, the very early advantage leaned strongly to Republicans, who mounted an advantage of more than 60,000 ballots over Democrats in mail-in voting. Democrats were banking on a strong Election Day turnout and help from unaffiliated voters, particularly women.
At his campaign camp at the Denver Marriott City Center, Bennet moved back and forth along the TV riser early in the evening, giving live interviews to national and local media. He sounded upbeat but also urged viewers to get out and vote during the last hour that the polls would be open.
Buck spent the afternoon in Greeley at home with his family, staffers said. He did a honk-and-wave there before making his way to the GOP bash.
Former GOP Gov. Bill Owens said a mixed Congress might make the Obama administration more effective.
“I served as governor with a mixed legislature and a Democratic legislature, and I think you can get a lot done,” Owens said.
Bennet, a relative political unknown when Gov. Bill Ritter plucked him from his job as Denver Public Schools chief and appointed him to the Senate 22 months ago, benefited from his time in Washington to establish a solid financial base for what proved a costly campaign. He raised $6 million alone to fend off primary challenger Andrew Romanoff.
Buck, the Weld County district attorney, tapped into the anti-incumbent anger of the Tea Party movement for early momentum and a primary win over Jane Norton before moving toward the center on several issues for the general election.
Money was a theme throughout the campaign as Colorado became the most expensive race in the country for outside spending by conservative and progressive groups.
In the general election, Bennet basked in visits from former President Bill Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama.
Buck, pursuing the first Republican Senate win in Colorado since 2002, spent considerable time roaming the Eastern Plains and Western Slope, mining support in small gatherings where his down-home personal style connected directly with voters.
But on the public stage, he committed some gaffes that contrasted sharply with his earnest straight talk.
