U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, who has been walking a fine line in trying to appeal both to Colorado’s unaffiliated voters and the Republican base as he faces a tough 2020 re-election campaign, took a turn toward the base with his latest comments.
“I know what Kamala Harris and I know what Bernie Sanders will do to Colorado, and that’s why I’ll be supporting the president,” Gardner told the Independent Journal Review this week, referring to two presumptive front-runners for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Gardner’s relationship with Trump has been complicated. In 2016, he called for the GOP nominee to step aside after the release of a video in which Trump bragged about sexually harassing women.
Since Trump won the election, Gardner has been cautious with his words, stopping short of a ringing endorsement. He usually says he’s with Trump on some issues, and not on others. He reiterated that line to the Journal Review. According to the political news website FiveThirtyEight, he has voted with Trump about 90 percent of the time.
So far three Democrats have announced they want to take on Gardner in 2020. More high-profile Democrats, including former state Sen. Mike Johnston and former House speaker Crisanta Duran, are expected to join the race.
Read the full story via The Denver Post.
