But Mr. Hickenlooper, who was coaxed into the Senate contest after ending his brief presidential run, has faltered in recent weeks ahead of the primary race on Tuesday. He now finds himself in a tougher-than-expected contest with Andrew Romanoff, a former state House speaker and another longtime Colorado political presence, in a fight with significant implications for the general election and control of the Senate. At a time when Democrats sense fresh momentum for flipping the Senate amid national crises that have tarnished President Trump and threaten to drag down Republican candidates, Mr. Hickenlooper’s shaky primary performance has been a rare dark spot in an otherwise brightening landscape. Democrats would have a difficult time capturing the majority without a Centennial State victory. “He has had a bad June,” Kyle Saunders, a political-science professor at Colorado State University, said about Mr. Hickenlooper’s multiple travails and missteps.

Source: New York Times June 27, 2020 14:48 UTC