The Colorado Senate race is closer than you’d think. Does that mean Joe O’Dea is going to prevail and kick Senator Michael Bennett (D) to the curb? Some think so, but the proof will be in the votes.

Bennett has been a Senator for Colorado for thirteen years. Prior to that he was the Superintendent of Schools for Denver. As a resident of Denver at that time, Bennett was an abject failure at the job. Denver Public Schools saw no improvements in education, safety, nor graduation rates under his watch. I’ve long thought he pivoted to getting appointed to the Senate after Ken Salazar left, before he’d get fired from his superintendent job. 

Bennett’s successor to DPS was Tom Boasberg, whom Bennett pushed for the position. Boasberg kept pushing Bennett’s reforms so much so that controversy remains to this day, many of the reforms have failed, several of the charter schools are now closed, and Boasberg was fired.

Meanwhile, Manual High School, which Bennett had closed under his watch, saw the majority of freshman and a significant number of sophomores never graduate. That’s a great track record for a guy who decided in 2019 to run for President touting his education track record!

The 21st major candidate to enter the crowded Democratic primary, Bennet is pitching himself as a pragmatic centrist. And nationally, he may be best known for his work with the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” that crafted an ultimately unsuccessful immigration compromise in 2013. In Congress, he worked with Democrats and Republicans to usher in the Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor to No Child Left Behind.

Needless to say, Bennett’s Presidential aspirations fizzled before they even got off the ground. Thus, he’s wanting a third term as U.S. Senator. 

According to him, he wants to expand the Child Tax cut, and go after energy companies by inflicting the Inflation Reduction Act upon them to “secure our energy independence.” How to do that? More subsidies for wind and solar while ignoring the fact that that the U.S. and Colorado WERE energy independent under President Trump! 

What’s interesting is Bennett touts all these legislative moves as if they were his bills. Except they really aren’t and never were. After research it became abundantly clear that Bennett’s track record of accomplishments in the U.S. Senate on behalf of Colorado is even worse than his stint as DPS Superintendent!

https://twitter.com/Joe_Jacksonn/status/1582543212471758848

One bill to his name. Just ONE after thirteen years. Quite the return on investment for Colorado voters isn’t it? But hey! That’s just fine. He was able to get Camp Hale designated as a National Monument, so Colorado should hand him a participation trophy for that! 

“Bennet has not put this away,” Wadhams continued. “He’s had this huge spending edge, and yet he has to beg and plead for the president to come out here to do something that Bennet could not get done in the Senate.”

During his visit, Biden used his executive powers to designate a World War II military training camp as a national monument, a project Bennet has pursued through legislation since taking office in 2011.

Joe O’Dea has been running a very different campaign for Senate compared to Republicans in the past. He’s also a very different kind of candidate. One with a genuine track record as not only a businessman, but a working class businessman having started a construction company in his basement that has grown to 300 employees since he and his wife started the business over thirty years ago. 

O’Dea came from an interesting background. 

O’Dea was adopted as a newborn and raised in southeast Denver by a police officer father and a stay-at-home mother. O’Dea said his family wasn’t particularly political when he was growing up — he didn’t go with his parents to their polling place or ever canvas for a candidate.

~Snip

“The first time I was really involved — I went to a legislative meeting for the Colorado Contractors Association back in about 1996,” the candidate recalled. “So I started getting into, how’s this going to affect my business? It was a very good learning experience.”

Partly due to O’Dea’s family background, but I’d say mostly due to his current stances on law enforcement versus Bennett’s willingness to defund the police, O’Dea garnered a significant endorsement recently. 

The endorsement of the Denver police union meant a lot.  

Michael Bennet compared our criminal justice system to Russia.

I think the men and women of our criminal justice system are heroes who deserve our gratitude. pic.twitter.com/8u4kFEUAVv

— Joe O'Dea (@ODeaForColorado) October 19, 2022

O’Dea is admittedly more moderate than many Republican candidates in the past. However, he strikes me as more pragmatic on the issues. He knows inflation is hitting everyone hard and Bennett’s 100% support of everything Biden pushes is harming Colorado across the board. 

O’Dea wants immigration reform and a secure border. Bennett does not. O’Dea recognizes that tax reduction helps the economy and combats inflation, Bennett does not. 

O’Dea also has said multiple times that he doesn’t care whether he gets a Trump endorsement or not. And he didn’t. 

Joe O’Dea recognizes this race is about Colorado and what is needed for this state and country. Bennett is in lockstep with the Biden Administration. 

For Midterms 2022, who will you choose in Colorado? 

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