The race was a showdown between Perlmutter, who presented himself as the district's everyman, and Coors, the wealthy challenger who is a member of Colorado's first family of beer.

Perlmutter criticized Coors for his participation in a 2002 family investment that poured $40 million into a scheme that promised a 75-percent-a-week return. The people running the scheme were eventually prosecuted.

Coors countered by blasting Perlmutter for supporting an Obama administration loan to the now-bankrupt solar company Solyndra.
Perlmutter was first elected in 2006. The district has a large number of unaffiliated voters and both parties consider it competitive.

Perlmutter is a big supporter of renewable energy and veteran services.

Coors is the great-grandson of Adolph Coors, who started the famous Coors brewery. Coors spent $3.1 million of his own money on his campaign.

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(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation with The Associated Press)