RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Boulevard Mall parking lot on Nov. 3, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Karen Ducey/Getty ImagesKing County Elections workers process ballots at King County Elections headquarters on Nov. 3, 2020 in Renton, Washington. The ballots are separated from the envelope after the signature has been verified, making them completely anonymous.- Scott Olson/Getty ImagesElection officials count absentee ballots at a polling place located in the Town of Beloit fire station on Nov. 3, 2020 near Beloit, Wisconsin. Wisconsin requires election officials to wait to begin counting absentee ballots until after polls open on election day.
- Rick Kern/Getty Images for Vote.orgVote.org food trucks deliver tacos and water to Houston voters in line on Election Day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Houston, Texas.
- Megan Varner/Getty ImagesA voter sanitizes her hands as poll workers help voters get ready to cast their ballots at The Metropolitan Library on Nov. 3, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
- SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line on election day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Manor, Texas.
- Karen Ducey/Getty ImagesCharles Sundberg opens ballots at King County Elections headquarters on Nov. 3, 2020 in Renton, Washington.
- Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Vote.orgVote.org food trucks deliver tacos and water to Miami voters in line on Election Day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
- David McNew/Getty ImagesPeople vote inside the historic Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Nov. 3, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
- Courtney Pedroza/Getty ImagesVoters enter Southeast Regional Library to cast their ballots on Nov. 3, 2020 in Gilbert, Arizona.
- Morry Gash/APPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- Richard Drew/APA voter celebrates after she casts her ballot on Election Day at Frank McCourt High School in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Morry Gash/APPeople line up to vote at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- Tony Dejak/APVoters cast their ballots on Election Day at Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Gerald Herbert/APPeople line up to vote on Election Day at the last polling place in a residence in the Lake Terrace section of New Orleans, La. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Richard Drew/APVoters line up outside Frank McCourt High School on Election Day in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Morry Gash/APA voter casts their ballot at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- LM Otero/APWindows are boarded up as voters line up outside the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, Tex. waiting to cast their ballots on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Mike Simons/Tulsa World via APVoter Tashia Lee receives her ballot from poll worker Marianne Stambaugh at the American Legion Post 1 on Election Day in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Gerald Herbert/APErin Doherty hugs her mother Susanna Dew, 61, who is voting for the first time in her life, as they wait in line at a polling place on election day in the Mid City section of New Orleans, La. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Richard Drew/APGuardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa votes on Election Day at Frank McCourt High School in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Mark Lennihan/APJamaal Bowman, left, the Democratic nominee for New York's 16th congressional district, greets voters in the Bartow Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York.
- JACQUELINE DORMER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/Republican-Herald via APPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day before 7:30 a.m. at the Senior Citizen's/Neighborhood Community Center in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via APKevin Schnitzius, whose wife, Kim, is running for Weston City Commission Seat 2, puts up Biden/Harris signage on Election Day at the Weston Branch Library on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Weston, Fla.
- Steve Helber/APVoters cast their ballots under a giant mural at Robious Elementary school in Midlothian, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Poll workers said that traffic was slow due to all the early voting in the precinct.
- Rogelio V. Solis/APMasked election workers sit behind a clear barrier as they perform ID checks of potential voters on Election Day in Ridgeland, Miss. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via APA Trump supporter campaigns on Election Day at the Weston Branch Library on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Weston, Fla.
- Mark Humphrey/APA sign calling for voters to work at voting locations is displayed on a table along with voting stickers at the Bordeaux Library voting precinct on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
- Matt Williamson/The Enterprise-Journal via APAndrea Nunnery casts her ballot on Election Day at the Summit, Miss. town hall voting precinct on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Tony Dejak/APA couple enters a polling station to vote on Election Day at the Middlefield Community Senior Center in Middlefield, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Lynne Sladky/APPeople vote inside a fire station on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Hialeah, Fla.
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball team members and poll worker volunteers Sydney Hilley, left, Dana Rettke and Julie Wohlert wave to a voter at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis. For the first time, the theater was opened for the election.
- Scott Eisen/Getty ImagesVoters fill out and cast their ballots at the Cross Insurance Center polling location on Nov. 3, 2020, in Bangor, Maine.
- Matthew Hatcher/Getty ImagesVoters turn out at dawn and wait to cast their ballot at a polling station in the King Arts Complex on Nov. 3, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio.
- GRANT BALDWIN/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters check in at First Ward Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina shortly after the polls opened on Nov. 3, 2020.
- SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line cast their vote on Nov. 3, 2020, in Austin, Tex.
- Octavio Jones/Getty ImagesCampaign volunteers wave posters in support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) near the West Tampa Public Library polling precinct on Nov. 3, 2020, in Tampa, Fla.
- EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line to cast their ballots at John F. Kennedy Library in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020. The United States started voting Tuesday in an election amounting to a referendum on Donald Trump's uniquely brash and bruising presidency, which Democratic opponent and frontrunner Joe Biden urged Americans to end to restore "our democracy."
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesVoters cast ballots at the Catholic Multicultural Center on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis.
- ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople wait in line to vote in the early morning in front of the American Legion in Tombstone, Ariz. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople cast their ballots at the United Center on Election Day in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters cast their ballots at the Indian Creek Fire Station 4 in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters check in inside the United Center to cast their ballots on Election Day in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 3, 2020. Americans were voting on Tuesday under the shadow of a surging coronavirus pandemic to decide whether to reelect Republican Donald Trump, one of the most polarizing presidents in U.S. history, or send Democrat Joe Biden to the White House.
- Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesPoll workers prepare their area for voters at a polling station on Nov. 3, 2020, in Houston, Tex.
- JON CHERRY/Getty ImagesAn election official raises her hand to signify that the ballot box has been sanitized and ready for the next voter in the polling place at Eastern High School on Nov. 3, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.
- JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty ImagesThe five town's residents, Tanner, Debra and Tom Tillotson with Joe Casey and Les Otten, stand together after voting during the historic midnight vote at the Hale House at the historic Balsams Resort during midnight voting as part of the first ballots cast in the United States Presidential Election in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire on Nov. 3, 2020. Voters in Dixville Notch, a village of 12 residents in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, kicked off Election Day at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday by voting unanimously for Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
- CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters stand in line to cast their ballots at The Coral Gables Branch Library in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty ImagesA man wears a "Bye Don" mask as he arrives to vote at Public School 33 in Chelsea on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, in New York City.
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesVoters wait in line before the polls open at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis.
- Michael M Santiago/GettyImagesPeople wait in line to enter the Italian Heritage Center to cast their vote on Nov. 3, 2020, in Portland, Maine.
- Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesResident Barbara Henderson waves a "vote" sign for motorists along Martin Luther King Blvd. on Nov. 3, 2020, in Houston, Tex. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
- JON CHERRY/Getty ImagesVoters wait in line with empty ballots in the polling place at Eastern High School on Nov. 3, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.
- ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line at a polling station on U.S. Election Day in Winchester, Virginia early Nov. 3, 2020. Polling stations opened in New York, New Jersey and Virginia early November 3, marking the start of Election Day as President Donald Trump seeks to beat forecasts and defeat challenger Joe Biden. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Trump and his uniquely brash, bruising presidency that Biden urged Americans to end to restore "our democracy."
- Mario Tama/Getty ImagesPeople stand in line to vote as the sun rises at Bloomfield United Methodist Church on Nov. 3, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa.
- SEAN RAYFORD/Getty ImagesA poll worker helps a voter on Nov. 3, 2020, in Columbia, South Carolina.
- Mark Wallheiser/Getty ImagesVolunteer poll workers accept mail ballots outside the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office on Nov. 3, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla.
- Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesVoters line up outside a polling place at Douglas Town Hall on Nov. 3, 2020, in Hampton, Minnesota.
- Hyoung Chang/APDemocratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
- RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Boulevard Mall parking lot on Nov. 3, 2020, in Las Vegas.
- Hyoung Chang/APDemocratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
- Karen Ducey/Getty ImagesKing County Elections workers process ballots at King County Elections headquarters on Nov. 3, 2020 in Renton, Washington. The ballots are separated from the envelope after the signature has been verified, making them completely anonymous.
- Scott Olson/Getty ImagesElection officials count absentee ballots at a polling place located in the Town of Beloit fire station on Nov. 3, 2020 near Beloit, Wisconsin. Wisconsin requires election officials to wait to begin counting absentee ballots until after polls open on election day.
- Rick Kern/Getty Images for Vote.orgVote.org food trucks deliver tacos and water to Houston voters in line on Election Day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Houston, Texas.
- Megan Varner/Getty ImagesA voter sanitizes her hands as poll workers help voters get ready to cast their ballots at The Metropolitan Library on Nov. 3, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
- SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line on election day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Manor, Texas.
- Karen Ducey/Getty ImagesCharles Sundberg opens ballots at King County Elections headquarters on Nov. 3, 2020 in Renton, Washington.
- Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Vote.orgVote.org food trucks deliver tacos and water to Miami voters in line on Election Day on Nov. 3, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
- David McNew/Getty ImagesPeople vote inside the historic Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Nov. 3, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
- Courtney Pedroza/Getty ImagesVoters enter Southeast Regional Library to cast their ballots on Nov. 3, 2020 in Gilbert, Arizona.
- Morry Gash/APPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- Richard Drew/APA voter celebrates after she casts her ballot on Election Day at Frank McCourt High School in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Morry Gash/APPeople line up to vote at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- Tony Dejak/APVoters cast their ballots on Election Day at Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Gerald Herbert/APPeople line up to vote on Election Day at the last polling place in a residence in the Lake Terrace section of New Orleans, La. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Richard Drew/APVoters line up outside Frank McCourt High School on Election Day in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Morry Gash/APA voter casts their ballot at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Franklin, Wis.
- LM Otero/APWindows are boarded up as voters line up outside the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, Tex. waiting to cast their ballots on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Mike Simons/Tulsa World via APVoter Tashia Lee receives her ballot from poll worker Marianne Stambaugh at the American Legion Post 1 on Election Day in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Gerald Herbert/APErin Doherty hugs her mother Susanna Dew, 61, who is voting for the first time in her life, as they wait in line at a polling place on election day in the Mid City section of New Orleans, La. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Richard Drew/APGuardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa votes on Election Day at Frank McCourt High School in New York's Upper West Side on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Mark Lennihan/APJamaal Bowman, left, the Democratic nominee for New York's 16th congressional district, greets voters in the Bartow Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York.
- JACQUELINE DORMER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/Republican-Herald via APPeople wait in line to vote on Election Day before 7:30 a.m. at the Senior Citizen's/Neighborhood Community Center in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via APKevin Schnitzius, whose wife, Kim, is running for Weston City Commission Seat 2, puts up Biden/Harris signage on Election Day at the Weston Branch Library on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Weston, Fla.
- Steve Helber/APVoters cast their ballots under a giant mural at Robious Elementary school in Midlothian, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Poll workers said that traffic was slow due to all the early voting in the precinct.
- Rogelio V. Solis/APMasked election workers sit behind a clear barrier as they perform ID checks of potential voters on Election Day in Ridgeland, Miss. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via APA Trump supporter campaigns on Election Day at the Weston Branch Library on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Weston, Fla.
- Mark Humphrey/APA sign calling for voters to work at voting locations is displayed on a table along with voting stickers at the Bordeaux Library voting precinct on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
- Matt Williamson/The Enterprise-Journal via APAndrea Nunnery casts her ballot on Election Day at the Summit, Miss. town hall voting precinct on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Tony Dejak/APA couple enters a polling station to vote on Election Day at the Middlefield Community Senior Center in Middlefield, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
- Lynne Sladky/APPeople vote inside a fire station on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Hialeah, Fla.
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball team members and poll worker volunteers Sydney Hilley, left, Dana Rettke and Julie Wohlert wave to a voter at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis. For the first time, the theater was opened for the election.
- Scott Eisen/Getty ImagesVoters fill out and cast their ballots at the Cross Insurance Center polling location on Nov. 3, 2020, in Bangor, Maine.
- Matthew Hatcher/Getty ImagesVoters turn out at dawn and wait to cast their ballot at a polling station in the King Arts Complex on Nov. 3, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio.
- GRANT BALDWIN/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters check in at First Ward Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina shortly after the polls opened on Nov. 3, 2020.
- SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line cast their vote on Nov. 3, 2020, in Austin, Tex.
- Octavio Jones/Getty ImagesCampaign volunteers wave posters in support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) near the West Tampa Public Library polling precinct on Nov. 3, 2020, in Tampa, Fla.
- EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line to cast their ballots at John F. Kennedy Library in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020. The United States started voting Tuesday in an election amounting to a referendum on Donald Trump's uniquely brash and bruising presidency, which Democratic opponent and frontrunner Joe Biden urged Americans to end to restore "our democracy."
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesVoters cast ballots at the Catholic Multicultural Center on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis.
- ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople wait in line to vote in the early morning in front of the American Legion in Tombstone, Ariz. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople cast their ballots at the United Center on Election Day in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters cast their ballots at the Indian Creek Fire Station 4 in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters check in inside the United Center to cast their ballots on Election Day in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 3, 2020. Americans were voting on Tuesday under the shadow of a surging coronavirus pandemic to decide whether to reelect Republican Donald Trump, one of the most polarizing presidents in U.S. history, or send Democrat Joe Biden to the White House.
- Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesPoll workers prepare their area for voters at a polling station on Nov. 3, 2020, in Houston, Tex.
- JON CHERRY/Getty ImagesAn election official raises her hand to signify that the ballot box has been sanitized and ready for the next voter in the polling place at Eastern High School on Nov. 3, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.
- JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty ImagesThe five town's residents, Tanner, Debra and Tom Tillotson with Joe Casey and Les Otten, stand together after voting during the historic midnight vote at the Hale House at the historic Balsams Resort during midnight voting as part of the first ballots cast in the United States Presidential Election in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire on Nov. 3, 2020. Voters in Dixville Notch, a village of 12 residents in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, kicked off Election Day at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday by voting unanimously for Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
- CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters stand in line to cast their ballots at The Coral Gables Branch Library in Miami, Fla. on Nov. 3, 2020.
- BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty ImagesA man wears a "Bye Don" mask as he arrives to vote at Public School 33 in Chelsea on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, in New York City.
- Andy Manis/Getty ImagesVoters wait in line before the polls open at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 3, 2020, in Madison, Wis.
- Michael M Santiago/GettyImagesPeople wait in line to enter the Italian Heritage Center to cast their vote on Nov. 3, 2020, in Portland, Maine.
- Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesResident Barbara Henderson waves a "vote" sign for motorists along Martin Luther King Blvd. on Nov. 3, 2020, in Houston, Tex. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
- JON CHERRY/Getty ImagesVoters wait in line with empty ballots in the polling place at Eastern High School on Nov. 3, 2020, in Louisville, Ky.
- ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty ImagesVoters wait in line at a polling station on U.S. Election Day in Winchester, Virginia early Nov. 3, 2020. Polling stations opened in New York, New Jersey and Virginia early November 3, marking the start of Election Day as President Donald Trump seeks to beat forecasts and defeat challenger Joe Biden. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Trump and his uniquely brash, bruising presidency that Biden urged Americans to end to restore "our democracy."
- Mario Tama/Getty ImagesPeople stand in line to vote as the sun rises at Bloomfield United Methodist Church on Nov. 3, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa.
- SEAN RAYFORD/Getty ImagesA poll worker helps a voter on Nov. 3, 2020, in Columbia, South Carolina.
- Mark Wallheiser/Getty ImagesVolunteer poll workers accept mail ballots outside the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office on Nov. 3, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla.
- Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesVoters line up outside a polling place at Douglas Town Hall on Nov. 3, 2020, in Hampton, Minnesota.
RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images
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People wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Boulevard Mall parking lot on Nov. 3, 2020, in Las Vegas.
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By Chris Sommerfeldt | csommerfeldt@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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John Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, defeated Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in Tuesday night’s election, bolstering Democrats’ hopes of flipping control of the Senate.
The Associated Press called the race for Hickenlooper less than hour after polls closed in Colorado.
“Thank you, Colorado! Serving you is the honor of my life, and I can’t wait to be your Senator,” Hickenlooper tweeted.
With Hickenlooper’s victory in the bag, Democrats need to defeat at least two more incumbent Republican senators to retake control of the Senate.
According to the Cook Political Report, eight other GOP senators are on thin ice this election cycle.
Hickenlooper, who served as governor between 2011 and 2019, mounted a centrist 2020 bid for president, but dropped out before voters even started heading to the polls.
Hickenlooper launched his challenge against Gardner shortly after pulling the plug on his presidential aspirations.
Gardner, like many other Republican senators, faced heat from constituents because of his support for President Trump’s push to install Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett before the election.
