Political Pulse: Bennet and Hickenlooper go all-in for Biden

Unlike a significant number of their Democratic colleagues, Colorado's two U.S. senators sound unequivocal in backing President Biden's re-election ambitions.

"If he runs, I think he'll beat Donald Trump again. … And I would support him in beating Donald Trump again," Sen. Michael Bennet said in response to a question from Axios.

• "It's his decision if he wants to run for re-election, and I will support him every way I can," John Hickenlooper added.

Why it matters: Backing your own party's first-term president is usually so automatic that no one would bother to ask, our colleagues write. But behind the scenes, there's a very real concern that going all in on Biden could be a mistake.

🚩 More than two dozen Republican candidates and officials gathered for a big show of unity this week with a shared agenda to reverse four years of Democratic policies.

Yes, but: One noticeable absence — Danny Moore, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor.

State of play: Since Moore joined the ticket in July, he's kept a low profile with attention on his social media posts that falsely claimed Biden was not "elected by the people," but rather "elected by the Democrat steal."

• Moore's aide pushed aside a reporter at a campaign event and the candidate has not been available for interviews.

What they're saying: Ganahl spokesperson Lexi Swearingen told us that Moore was fundraising at the time and "we rarely have our principals at the same location. It's just an effective use of time and resources."

📈 By the numbers: A new poll shows the 8th Congressional District race is a dead heat. Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer leads Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo by 2 percentage points, according to the July 26-Aug. 2 poll from the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group.

• Flashback: It's the second poll in as many months showing Republicans with the advantage.

📺 What to watch: A subtle battle is brewing between the U.S. Senate candidates when it comes to Colorado authenticity.

What to know: Republicans picked a fight against Bennet by highlighting our reporting in Political Pulse last week about how the senator bought a one-day fishing license to film a campaign commercial.

• GOP rival Joe O'Dea debuted a campaign commercial this week showing him riding a horse at full stride and donning a cowboy hat.

Of note: O'Dea is a Colorado native from Denver. He attended Colorado State University, but did not graduate

• Bennet was born in India, where his father was stationed for the U.S. State Department and grew up in the Washington, D.C area. He went to Wesleyan and Yale law school and later moved to Colorado in the late ‘90s.

🗳 Political Pulse is a regular feature from Axios Denver to help you catch up quick on Colorado politics.