CQ: Udall has the edge in Senate race

In his race against former Rep. Bob Schaffer, Rep. Mark Udall's chances of winning the seat of retiring Sen. Wayne Allard "appear to be brightening," according to CQ Politics.

The Washington political news source is shifting it's rating of Colorado's Senate race in favor of Udall, the Democrat.

As Greg Giroux writes for CQ Politics:

By shifting the rating of the Colorado Senate race to "Leans Democratic" from "No Clear Favorite," CQ Politics now considers Udall as a narrow front-runner in a highly competitive race that had been previously classified as a toss-up. Udall, who represents the Boulder area, and Schaffer, who represented Colorado's eastern plains from 1997 through 2002 and sought Colorado's other Senate seat in 2004, are unopposed in their party's primaries on August 12.

Though CQ Politics does not base its race ratings changes primarily on polling data, it's unmistakable that Udall has moved out to a consistent lead in a series of polls, including a nine-point advantage in a Public Policy Polling survey that was conducted earlier this month.