Cory Scott Gardner (born August 22, 1974) is an American politician who is the junior United States Senator from Colorado. He is a Republican and was previously the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district. Prior to that, he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives.Gardner announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in March 2014, quickly clearing the Republican primary field, and defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Udall in the November 2014 race.