The ex-president George W. Bush joined forces with Colorado Senate Joe O’Dea, helping him raise funds, because there is something they share: the desire that Donald Trump don’t go back to the White House.
In the next elections, O’Dea will seek to beat the incumbent Democratic senator Michael Bennet, in a state where President Joe Biden defeated Trump by nearly 14 points in 2020.
O’Dea has stated that he would not support Trump if he runs again in 2024, and in a recent interview with Meet the Press, he stated, “I’m the only GOP candidate for Senate who hasn’t been endorsed by Donald Trump. I’m probably not going to send a Christmas card. I don’t want to see him run again. There are some great Republican candidates, and I’m going to help campaign for them.”
If he wants to occupy a space in the Senate, O’Dea will have to keep up the effort because currently FiveThirtyEight political pollsters show Democrat Bennet with a 10-point lead.
As reported by NBC News, Bush’s support for O’Dea’s candidacy against Bennet is in line with the former president’s efforts to keep controversial Trump out of politics.
In this electoral cycle, we had already seen Bush participate in fundraisers for Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Wyoming Republican Governor Liz Cheney ahead of their primaries against Trump-backed challengers.
Furthermore, when the violent storming of the capitol took place, Bush immediately condemned the insurgents who participated in it.
Regarding fundraising, O’Dea had a strong quarter, raising $3 million from July to September, which includes a $1 million loan from the applicant himself.
He also raised another $516,000 for his committee joint fundraiser with the Colorado Republican Party and the Republican National Senatorial Committee, according to NBC News.