Are you surprised that CO-SEN ended up way closer than IA-SEN?

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No. Colorado is a blue state. Iowa is a purple state.

Nope. Colorado has performed better than Iowa for the GOP in the last two presidential elections. Colorado is absolutely not a blue state

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Yes, mainly because of the tracking of early voting showing the electorate much more R than in 2010 and the polls showing Gardner up so much, and conversely, because of polls showing early voters voting Braley by improbably big margins.

How did the electorate land in Colorado at the end of election day? We went into election day much more R than in 2010, I think.

Something like R+5 I think. Democrats' Election Day turnout was amazing. So 2014 was better for Democrats than in 2010, and still the GOP had a great night except for the tight gubernatorial race.

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Yup, all eyes on Iowa and Wisconsin.

I am all for making a play for Wisconsin and certainly Iowa. But Iowa has only gone Republican once in a presidential race in THIRTY years. Wisconsin hasn't gone Republican even once in 30 years. The GOP keeps telling itself that it can lose Virginia and Colorado because they'll somehow finally get it done in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Baloney. If Republicans can't figure out Virginia and Colorado then they will start losing Georgia, NC, and Arizona, too. And that's really game over.

I am reasonably confident that VA, CO, and VA will be the top target in 2016 for Republicans behind the obvious Florida and Ohio. Unless Scott Walker is the nominee and then the Midwest probably comes into greater focus.