Democraitc Sen. Michael Bennet
The GOP has struggled to recruit a viable candidate against Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, but that finally may be changing. Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler has been quiet about his 2016 plans for most of the year while he prosecuted James Holmes, who murdered 12 people in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, and it looked like Brauchler was far more likely to run for governor in 2018 anyway. But now that the trial is over (Holmes was found guilty, but Brauchler unsuccessfully sought the death penalty), Brauchler sounds a lot more interested in challenging Bennet.
While Brauchler says he's not committing to anything, he recently told the Denver Post, "You can definitely say I'm considering it," easily his strongest expression of interest to date. Brauchler may not have the GOP field to himself: Rich guy Robert Blaha, who tried to unseat Rep. Doug Lamborn in the 2012 primary, reaffirms that he's also considering and won't defer to Brauchler. But Brauchler is undoubtably Team Red's best bet at this point. Brauchler already had some name recognition as chief lawyer for an important swingy county, and the theater trial has dominated the news in recent months. It's also unclear who else the NRSC can turn to at this point, since their other potential recruits have all either declined or seem very uninterested.
Bennet's win during the 2010 wave demonstrated that he's a tough candidate, and he'll have presidential turnout at his back this time, so he'd likely start out favored if Brauchler gets in. But the district attorney will definitely make national Republicans happy if he runs.