Cory Gardner trails Mark Udall by 2

The Colorado senate just got a lot more interesting! Just as State Sen. Owen Hill announced he was leaving the race and endorsing Cory Gardner Public Policy Polling (PPP) released a poll showing Gardner trailing incumbent Senator Mark Udall by just 2 points, 40% to 42%. Tea Party Express has been backing Hill. I wrote in another post that there was some lingering acrimony between Gardner and TP Express. It looks as if it's time to kiss and make up. Tea Party Express executive director Taylor Budowich told the Daily Caller,

“We endorsed Owen Hill because we saw him as a promising, young conservative candidate that would match up well against Senator Mark Udall. So while our support remains strong with Owen, a campaign for Senate is a serious decision and Owen must do what’s right for him and his family. We have the utmost respect for Owen and see a bright future for him,” Budowich told The Daily Caller.
“With that said, Senator Udall is vulnerable and we feel we have a great chance at defeating him in November,” he added. “We have yet to make a decision on our next step in Colorado, but we look forward to meeting with Rep. Cory Gardner in the near future to discuss his campaign.”

Gardner has room to grow his numbers. His approval number is 23% with 26% indicating disapproval but 53% not sure meaning he is unknown to as many as half the state's voters. Senator Udall has a 41% approval / 40% disapproval which is slightly better than Obama whose approval /disapproval ratio is 43% / 53%