Incumbent Michael Bennet topped Andrew Romanoff to win Colorado’s Democratic senatorial nomination in a fierce battle between two liberal candidates with Jewish roots.
Bennett won the race with 54.2 percent of the vote to 45.7 percent. Romanoff called Bennet to concede less than an hour after polls closed Tuesday.
President Obama had put his strong support behind Bennet, who was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter 20 months ago to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Ken Salazar following his appointment as U.S. secretary of the interior.
Bennet will face Republican Ken Buck in the November election. Buck has the backing of the Tea Party.
Bennet raised more than $8 million for the primary campaign, according to the Denver Post. Romanoff refused to take special interest money.
Both candidates have been outspoken in their support for Israel and on isolating Iran.
Bennet’s mother is a Holocaust survivor, though Bennet did not acknowledge his Jewishness until recently.
