Colorado’s Polis faces feisty challenge in bid for 2nd term

By JAMES ANDERSON
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, has had to fend off spirited attacks by his Republican challenger, Heidi Ganahl, in his quest for a second term in Tuesday’s election. Ganahl ran a campaign targeting Polis’ pandemic record, surging crime and the fentanyl crisis. Polis insisted Colorado’s best days are ahead, arguing that the state quickly emerged from the coronavirus shutdown poised for strong economic growth. And he championed first-term successes in health care affordability, fully-funded kindergarten and preschool. Ganahl, herself a business entrepreneur who as a University of Colorado regent is the only Republican statewide elected official, faced an uphill battle in a state that’s trended blue over the past decade.