After indicating for nearly three months that he was going to run for Senate next year, former Rep. Scott McInnis (R) made it official last week, filing his statement of candidacy and statement of organization, an official in the Senate Office of Public Records confirmed Monday.

McInnis, who is now permitted to raise money for his bid, is running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Wayne Allard (R), who is retiring at the end of his current term. Democrats are clearing the field for Rep. Mark Udall, but former Rep. Bob Schaffer and retired Air Force Major Gen. Bentley Rayburn are both considering joining McInnis in the GOP primary.

With nearly $1 million on hand in his old House campaign account, McInnis is seen as currently having the upper hand among Republicans in a Senate contest that is likely to be among the most heavily targeted in the country. McInnis has been in the process of assembling a campaign team and trying to secure commitments from Colorado’s top GOP donors.
— David M. Drucker and Matthew Murray