I like that, but I don't believe in the decision that they made. O'DEA: I believe in good conservative judges. Abortion-rights advocates argue that position is inconsistent. WALSH: But O'Dea said he supports Trump's Supreme Court appointees, who voted to overturn Roe v. After that, there should be some exceptions - rape, incest, life of the mother. O'DEA: I believe the first five months, the mother has the choice. Instead, he emphasized when he thinks abortion should be legal. O'Dea sidestepped whether those positions put him out of step with a majority of Colorado voters. He also voted for a ballot measure in 2020 that banned abortions after 22 weeks, with no exceptions. The state codified its protections this year, a law O'Dea opposed. He backs some abortion rights, but he's running in a state with a long history of protecting abortion access. WALSH: Abortion may be O'Dea's biggest challenge. It wasn't an option that I would have chosen for myself, but I had that option. And even though when I was younger, I had the choice - because I was pregnant before I got married - it was a choice. LINDA WILSON: The abortion issue is a big one. WALSH: For Linda Wilson, who leans Democrat, one issue is top of mind. SMITH: Right now, each party is just still doing tit for tat. WALSH: Smith voted for former President Trump but said he doesn't feel compelled to vote for either party this fall. WALSH: That's kettle corn vendor Leon Smith. Most of the people we talked to don't know who's running in November's Senate race, but they had strong feelings about what matters for their vote this fall. WALSH: At the final week of the Green Valley Ranch Summer Farmers Market, north of downtown Denver, shoppers are milling around as a band plays live music. And after the chaos of four years of Donald Trump, that's really welcome. But I think that my sense is that people are actually seeing Washington begin to work again. He agrees with his opponent that voters are very focused on inflation.īENNET: What people are having to pay for food and for gasoline is a challenge. WALSH: Bennet spent much of August traveling the state, touting legislation Democrats passed to lower prescription drug prices and invest in climate programs. MICHAEL BENNET: That is the national media's interpretation of what's going on in this race. WALSH: Over tea at a local coffee shop in Denver, incumbent Michael Bennet pushes back at the notion that O'Dea is a moderate who can compete here. O'DEA: They're worried about the price of gas and this record crime that's taken over the city. But he stressed Hispanic voters tell him they are focused on the same things as all Coloradans. WALSH: In another break with the bulk of his party, O'Dea backs protections for DREAMers and wants a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers. At a Hispanic cultural event in Denver, he drank a Mexican lager and bought his wife earrings from a local vendor. WALSH: A big part of O'Dea's strategy is outreach to Latino voters who could be the second-largest voting bloc in the state. I'm a conservative, but at the same time, we've got to do what's right for Colorado, what's right for America. O'DEA: On the whole, we got to get rid of this partisanship that's just keeping us from putting good policies in place that move America forward, and that's why I'm running. WALSH: The first-time candidate sticks to a centrist message. JOE O'DEA: I'm going to campaign for somebody else, and we're going to move the country forward. He's a rare Republican who affirms President Biden won the 2020 election and thinks someone other than Trump should lead the party in 2024. NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh reports from Denver.ĭEIRDRE WALSH, BYLINE: Republicans hope the GOP nominee, construction company CEO Joe O'Dea, can flip this blue seat red. His opponent is the one Republican in a tight Senate race not endorsed by Donald Trump. Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet is running for his third term. Democrats may be feeling more optimistic about the midterm elections lately, but Republicans are looking to the Rocky Mountains to pull an upset in their campaign to flip control of the Senate.