|
There's a strong urban/rural divide that makes it almost... purple. The influence of Denver, Boulder, and the outlying counties is countered by Douglas County and the Western Slope. From the outside, we look like a Republican lock right now, with two Republican senators and Gov. Bill Owens, a transplanted Texan and a special friend of W's.
However, unlike in Texas, the Dems-led by State Atty. General Ken Salazar-have so far been able to block the GOP's House redistricting plans; if this holds, CO-3 and CO-7 will be competitive. Further, the Allard/Strickland Senate race in '02 was within 75,000 votes, and Clinton/Gore won by 5% in 1992 and lost by only 2% in '96. If the national party threw us enough support, Colorado could conceivably be winnable.
I worry about the left's issues with Kerry, though, because our "fringe" is strong and very committed (Nader pulled 5% statewide in 2000). Oh, and Hart just decided not to run against Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, which is a tremendous confidence booster :eyes:.
|