Gary Hart pens public apology to Cory Gardner

In a letter to the editor published in The Denver Post Friday, Hart says he endorsed Udall in last November's election because he believes his fellow Democrat had performed well for Colorado -- and still thinks Udall should have been re-elected.

However, in commending Udall, I also made disparaging comments about Gardner. That was uncharacteristic for me and contributed to the bitter partisanship now stalemating our government. I regret having done so.

Having made those written comments in a public forum, I now apologize publicly to Sen. Gardner for my comments.