Republican congressman Cory Gardner leads incumbent Senator Mark Udall (D., Colo.) 50–46 in a new poll of likely voters released by CNN today. The poll also found 50 percent of respondents viewed him favorably. Gardner has now led seven of the last eight polls and picked up a string of endorsements from local newspapers.
Gardner has captured the lead after a series of debates in which Udall flubbed an answer on the signature issue of his campaign — contraception. Udall has been nicknamed “Mark Uterus” by his detractors for his obsessive focus on social issues. Gardner, meanwhile, has been talking about job growth and other economic issues, and it appears to have served him well. Gardner’s campaign has gained momentum at just the right time, as Colorado’s registered voters reportedly began receiving ballots in the mail on Tuesday.