Tim Bennett, 2026 Candidate for CO Congressional District 7
Tim Bennett Shares Lessons from CD7 Race: How Republicans Can Compete to Win in 2026 and Beyond
Tim Bennett, recent Republican candidate for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, addressed the Republican Strategy Forum on November 11, with a detailed breakdown of the 2024 and 2026 election cycles. A veteran of El Paso County politics for eight to nine years, Bennett has held multiple local offices and recently challenged for the CD7 seat.
Bennett’s core message centered on “Competing to Win,” drawing contrasts between the close 2024 races and the clearer but still challenging path heading into future cycles. He noted that certain districts now show roughly 60% Republican registration, creating structural opportunities if the party addresses persistent weaknesses.
2024 Performance vs. Narrative
Bennett emphasized that 2024 races were tighter than many narratives suggested. Eleven Democratic-held state House targets were decided by a combined margin of just 30,367 votes. Several overlapping CD7 districts were either under-resourced or had no Republican candidate at all. Democrats outspent Republicans by a factor of 3.5 to 1 in many of these contests.
In one Democrat-leaning district, the Republican candidate achieved 41.15% of the vote—stronger than expected. Yet by 2026, Democrats had flipped CD5 and CD8 while holding CD7. Colorado now has only one Republican in Congress: Representative Jeff Hurd in CD3.
Bennett’s 2026 Results and Spending Analysis
Running in Congressional District 7 in 2026, Bennett received 36.1% of the vote. He provided a cost-per-vote comparison across CD7 (his race), CD5 (Jeff Crank), and CD8 (Gabe Evans). Bennett significantly underspent his opponents by prioritizing organic social media over purchased advertising, arguing the approach was more efficient. His analysis did not include the successful re-election of Jeff Hurd in CD3. Including CD3 data would provide more insight on what worked successfully.
Voter turnout declined across every Colorado House district between 2024 and 2026. CD7 experienced the smallest drop at 11.71%.
Four Core Problems Identified
Bennett organized the party’s challenges into four categories:
1. Empty Ballots – Districts without Republican candidates produce no message, no data, no bench of future candidates, and no coattails for other races.
2. Spending Imbalance – The 3.5-to-1 Democratic spending advantage in 2024 allowed them to overwhelm close races.
3. Siloed Campaigns – State House races failed to consistently feed volunteers, data, or messaging into federal contests such as CD7.
4. Party Capacity – Limited year-round infrastructure. Resources were concentrated late in the cycle and distributed unevenly instead of strategically across the map.
Proposed Solutions
Bennett advocated for grassroots members to commit to recurring $25 monthly donations with donor matches funneled into a dedicated PAC. He also stressed the need for a robust, consistent social media presence, noting that Democrats have mastered digital communication to reach and mobilize their voters.
Residual Republican strength remains visible in the close 2024 margins and 2026 vote totals. A sustained digital strategy, Bennett argued, can convert that strength into volunteer recruitment, small-dollar fundraising, and message penetration.
Social Media Recommendations
Bennett outlined five specific recommendations:
1. Shared message calendar coordinated between the state party and legislative caucus.
2. Year-round presence rather than campaign-season-only activity.
3. Volunteer and donor pipeline—every post should include a clear call to action for volunteer sign-ups, donations, RSVPs, or data-collection forms.
4. Measurement and amplification—track reach, engagement, and conversation by district.
5. Candidate training—equip every state House and local candidate with basic content kits and rapid-response support to eliminate empty digital ballots.
In summary, Bennett concluded that Republicans must realign priorities to compete in every district and allocate resources strategically rather than reactively. The data from 2024 and 2026 shows both the remaining strength and the structural fixes required to turn close losses into future victories.