Updated 9:55 p.m.
There was at least one surprise on Tuesday's primary night — and it wasn't in the marquee Democratic Senate race.
Former Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper beat his challenger, Andrew Romanoff, and will now face Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in November.
Gardner is seen as the most vulnerable Republican in the Senate. Hickenlooper is a moderate recruited by national Democrats who had a huge financial advantage in the race. But he stumbled in the final month against Romanoff, a former moderate who ran a populist challenge from the left.
Meanwhile, in Colorado's expansive 3rd Congressional District, Businesswoman Lauren Boebert upset five-term U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton in the Republican primary. Boebert is a pistol-packing businesswoman, an ardent defender of gun rights and border wall supporter who wants to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.
She will run in November’s general election against Diane Mitsch Bush, who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday. Boebert accused Tipton of not being sufficiently pro-Donald Trump even though Trump had endorsed Tipton. She made a name for herself after loudly protesting Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ orders to close businesses to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
