Republicans diverge in Colorado’s U.S. Senate primary

Colorado is forecast to have one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races in the 2022 midterm elections.

• Yes, but: Whether that holds true depends on how Republicans play their cards.

State of play: Two candidates are competing for the party’s nomination in the June 28 primary — in a mere two weeks.

• Ron Hanks, a first-term state lawmaker, is a three-decade military veteran centering his campaign on the conspiracy theory that former President Trump won the 2020 election.
• Joe O’Dea, a first-time candidate, is a wealthy businessman who runs a construction company and owns two entertainment venues in Denver. He’s campaigning as the more practical moderate.

Zoom in: The two contenders met in a debate Saturday in which their differences became clear, CPR reports.

On abortion, Hanks and O’Dea opposed the new law guaranteeing access to the procedure in Colorado with important nuances.

• Hanks says he opposes all abortion, at any point in the term and for any reason.
• O’Dea says abortion should be legal in some cases, including rape and incest, but opposes the procedure in the third-trimester.

On messaging, the two candidates are speaking different languages.

• Hanks believes his positions — which include opposition to mail-ballot voting and machine ballot counts — will win over voters because they illustrate his conviction.
• O’Dea says the party should focus on increasing crime rates and inflation, and seek to blame Democratic incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet for the current direction of the country.