Exclusive – Colorado Republican Joe O’Dea: Coloradans Are ‘Fired Up,’ ‘Excited,’ and ‘Want Change’ in the Election

Republican Joe O’Dea, who is looking to unseat Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado during next week’s midterm election, told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview that “voters are fired up,” “excited,” and “want change.”

O’Dea explained to Breitbart News that the election would be a “referendum” on President Joe Biden and Bennet while noting that the Democrat incumbent is a “rubber stamp” for the president, as he votes on his policies for over 98 percent of the time.

The Centennial State Republican, who is in a virtual tie with Bennet in the latest Trafalgar Group poll, said that voters are “fired up” as he makes a final swing around the state to rally the voters, claiming they want a change because they are “fed up” with the economy, the rising price of fuel and the record crime in the state. He added that Colorado is experiencing the worst crime rate in 25 years.

During the campaign season, O’Dea marked himself as a self-made entrepreneur whose successful construction company has been in business for over 35 years and employs 300 Coloradans. He explained to Breitbart News that some of his employees, who have been with him the since the beginning, are now full partners in the company, allowing them to live “their American dream.”

However, at the same time, O’Dea and Republican groups have been hammering Bennet for having no significant legislative accomplishments or areas of expertise in the Senate besides voting 98 percent of the time with the president over the last two years.

O’Dea further explained that Coloradans have “woken up” and have realized that Bennet only shows up for a “photo op,” which he claims is part of the reason the polls are leaning in his favor and political analysts have moved the race from a “lean Democrats” to a “toss-up” this past week.

“[Coloradans] don’t know who they’re voting for, and I’ll tell you… working Americans here in Colorado have woken up if you notice,” he said. “Because Colorado matters. Working Americans matter. We want a voice in the U.S. Senate, and we’re tired of this rubber stamp that’s screwing up our economy and screwing up our lives, and so Coloradans are ready for a change.”

“What they do in Washington matters… The problem with Washington, DC, is that too many of those guys have never had to work a hard day in their life. They’ve never struggled. They’ve never run a small business. They’ve never been middle class. They’ve never had to balance a checkbook, and they’re just detached,” O’Dea said, slamming Bennet. “And when they go [to Washington], they spend 1.9 trillion on a rescue plan that Michael Bennett was the final vote on. He’s number 50. [Bennet] got it across the finish line and threw this economy into record inflation. We haven’t seen this inflation in 40 years.”

O’Dea added that, unlike what Bennet does, he’s “not afraid to walk across the aisle and do good things for Colorado. I’m gonna represent Colorado; I’m not going to be owned by any party. That’s just not me. I’m an independent thinker. I’m running a campaign that just shows that I’m not afraid to stand up to anybody. And that’s what working Americans want.”

While Colorado’s U.S. Senate race is not as critical for the Republican to win as Ohio and Pennsylvania, winning the Centennial State would help the GOP regain a majority in the upper chamber if the party is able to hold the 50 seats they already have.

The Senate is currently divided 50-50 between the parties, with Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Senate Republicans must hold seats in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania and net at least one seat to put the GOP back in the majority and hinder President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.