State Sen. Ellen Roberts (Colorado Senate Republicans)
Colorado state Sen. Ellen Roberts added her name to the list of potential Republican challengers to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in 2016.
“I’m not ready to announce yet, but I’m certainly exploring it pretty closely or I wouldn’t be talking about it,” the term-limited Durango lawmaker said Monday.
Her interest — — puts her name on a list of possible contenders that includes and an .
Bennetap re-election contest is considered one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races in the 2016 election, particularly given Colorado’s swing-state status and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s upset bid against Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall in 2014.
“I think for Colorado to have the strongest presence in the U.S. Senate it is going to take a fairly independent voice that will address some of the key issues in our state,” Roberts said by phone. “I feel like I have that to offer, if I decide to run.”
A GOP primary for the post is about year away and the party has no declared candidates, let alone coalesced behind a potentially nominee. A National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman made clear the party is not concerned about the current state of the race and remains confident about its chances.
“Senator Michael Bennet is out-of-step with Coloradans and itap one of the many reasons he’ll be replaced in 2016,” said Matt Connelly, who worked with Roberts as a spokesman for the Colorado Senate Republican caucus in his prior job. “Regardless of who becomes the Republican nominee in the race, we are in a very strong position to defeat Senator Bennet and thatap why Colorado remains one of the top pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2016.”
Roberts, the Senate president pro tem, faces a steep climb with little name recognition at the state level. She acknowledged she is a longshot in a Republican primary because she considers herself a moderate. abortion rights and same-sex civil unions.
“Itap obvious that I have had a different kind of voting record than a lot of Republicans who run for higher office,” she said. “I expect both ends of the spectrum, whether itap the left or the right, will have plenty to say about my work history. But I’m very comfortable about the work I have done. If I end up running, I look forward to going into more detail … with the average Coloradan voter, not just the two ends of the spectrum.”
Democrats and liberal groups believe Roberts took a rightward turn this year in her voting record, siding with social conservatives on a bill to and that would have protected businesses that refuse services based on religious beliefs.
“Thatap a record that’s out of touch with Colorado, no matter how much favor it may gain her with GOP political insiders,” said Andrew Zucker, a state Democratic Party spokesman.
The factors in her decision, she said, include who else from her party enters the race and the “massive amount of fundraising that happens on the federal level.”
She said she has not yet visited Washington to meet with national party leaders.
Roberts, a lawyer and New York native, won her two bids for the state House in 2006 and 2008 without much competition. But in her 2010 state Senate race, Roberts beat a Democratic incumbent and fended off a challenge from the right. She said it makes her prepared for what may come.
“I feel like I’ve been through this before,” she said. “Itap very hard work and it’s challenging.”
Roberts’ current state Senate term ends in 2018.
