Colorado U.S. Senate race shifts toward GOP, despite recent poll

A major election prognosticator is souring on Democratic fortunes in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race.

Driving the news: The Cook Political Report moved the contest to “leans Democratic” — a downgrade for incumbent Michael Bennet.

• The race previously was cast as “likely Democratic,” which suggested Republican challenger Joe O’Dea had little chance of winning.

The big picture: Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics has the race pegged at the same mark, while Inside Elections and FiveThirtyEight still rate it “likely Democratic.”

? The intrigue: The shift comes despite the release of a poll from Republican firm McLaughlin and Associates that gives Bennet an advantage, with 48% of respondents preferring him versus 40% for O’Dea.

• Their July 24-26 survey of likely voters — the first public polling data since the general election matchup in late June — has a margin of error of 4.4%.

? Denver-based Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck hauled in $15 million in each of the last three quarters, making it the highest-grossing lobbying firm in the nation.

• A managing partner credited the firm’s work on financial and regulatory matters in Washington and the expansion of state-level lobbying for its success, the Denver Business Journal reports.

? U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s new financial disclosure fails to include her husband’s consulting income. Questions were raised last year about his high-paid work for an oil and gas company on the Western Slope.

• The Republican lawmaker is required to list the sources of her husband’s income, though not the total.
• One new detail, the Colorado Sun reports, is that Jayson Boebert trades thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency through the Robinhood app.

? Political Pulse is a regular Friday feature to help you catch up quick on Colorado politics.