The Denver Post declared Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet the winner in the Colorado Senate race Wednesday morning, defeating Tea Party-backed Republican Ken Buck.

Michael Bennet (Creative Commons)

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Bennet was ahead of Buck by a margin of 47.7 percent to 46.8 percent.

The announcement came the morning following the election, after votes were counted from Denver and Boulder counties, areas more considered liberal than other rural parts of Colorado.

In an post on his Facebook page Wednesday morning, Bennet said, "Thank you to everyone who made this victory possible."

Bennet was appointed to the Senate in 2009 following Ken Salazar's move to Washington to become Interior Secretary.

Reach associate news editor Taylor Freitas here. Follow her on Twitter: @taylorfreitas.

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