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Ted Cruz In Colorado To Support Darryl Glenn For U.S. Senate

DENVER (CBS4) - Former Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was campaigning in Colorado on Monday for a U.S. Senate candidate. Sen. Cruz has thrown his support behind Darryl Glenn.

Glenn isn't a familiar name in the Denver metro area. He's an El Paso County commissioner who emerged from virtual obscurity when he gave a rousing speech at the Republican state convention. Two months later there's a strong possibility he could become the GOP nominee in a race that could flip control of the U.S. Senate.

Ted Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz (credit: CBS)

"When Colorado elects Darryl this state will have an extraordinary delegation of two young talented principal senators fighting side by side," Cruz said.

Cruz would have some believing Glenn is another Sen. Cory Gardner, who upset incumbent Mark Udall two years ago. But he's not.

"I am an unapologetic Christian, constitutional conservative, pro-life, Second Amendment-loving American," Glenn said.

He's far more conservative than Gardner, as indicated by his endorsements -- Cruz, Sarah Palin and the Senate Conservatives Fund, a PAC supporting far-right candidates. Glenn -- like Cruz and unlike Gardner -- has positioned himself as the anti-establishment candidate in an anti-establishment year, which bodes well for him.

Darryl Glenn
Darryl Glenn (credit: CBS)

"At the state convention Darryl Glenn won 70 percent of the votes," Cruz said. "When I was looking at this race there was no more powerful or compelling factor than that."

How much Cruz's endorsement helps Glenn isn't clear. Many Cruz supporters already were Glenn supporters. But it hurts Glenn's opponent Robert Blaha, who also endorsed Cruz for president.

Glenn and Blaha are two among five Republicans who made it on the ballot. They include former Aurora city councilman Ryan Frazier; former state Rep. John Keyser -- once considered a favorite whose campaign has been plagued by controversy; and businessman Jack Graham -- a moderate pro-choice conservative who's been building name recognition with a heavy on-air presence.

Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz on Monday (credit: CBS)

Who wins depends on which Republicans turn out, and this year it's anyone's guess.

As of Monday the Secretary of State's Office says about 12 percent of Republicans who received ballots have returned them.

The winner will take on incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, who has raised more money than all of the Republican primary candidates put together. Bennet is widely considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the Senate.

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