U.S. SENATE: Buck-Bennet too close to call

The race for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat was neck and neck and growing closer as returns trickled in Tuesday night.

It was a fight carried out in Colorado Springs, as Republican prosecutor Ken Buck worked to solidify the GOP’s hold here and incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet hoped a massive Democratic turnout here would add to his advantage in Denver. Buck and Bennet each visited Colorado Springs dozens of times to rally support, including stops in the campaign’s closing days.

Buck carried 60 percent of the vote in El Paso County, according to early returns. But Bennet led narrowly statewide, by less than 9,000 votes.

The race remained too close to call at 10:30 p.m.

The race narrowed in the closing weeks, with polls showing Buck and Bennet in a dead heat heading into the election.

It was a vicious campaign from both sides, with a galaxy of outside groups assaulting the airwaves with a string of negative ads.

Republicans painted Bennet as a free-spending puppet of President Barack Obama.

Democrats took on Buck as an extremist.

Bennet had money on his side, spending more than $10.6 million on the seat he had landed through appointment in 2009 to replace Ken Salazar.

Buck spent $3 million on the race but had a massive grass-roots effort on his side from tea party supporters and others in the new conservative movement.

Each had to win a tough primary battle just to get to the November election.

Buck faced former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, a favorite of the GOP’s old guard who fell amid an energetic campaign from the tea party.

Bennet faced former state House speaker Andrew Romanoff, a darling of the liberal wing of the state’s Democrats. Romanoff kept it close, but was overwhelmed by Bennet’s campaign war chest.