Since the beginning of the year, presumptive presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama have made a combined 10 campaign stops in Colorado.
They’re talking about education, jobs and the war. Their parties and campaigns have opened more than a dozen offices in the state.
The activity is a measure of just how close the election is likely to be in Colorado and how crucial Colorado could be in the final electoral tally.
It’s a period in the state’s political history that’s worth reflecting on.
With the exception of 1992, Colorado has reliably gone Republican in presidential contests over the last four decades.
Knowing that, can Obama do what even John F. Kennedy couldn’t do? That is, carry Colorado.
The political dynamics in Colorado are changing as the state’s demographics morph with more voters registering unaffiliated. Of the state’s 2.8 million voters, 34.19 percent are unaffiliated, 34.14 percent are Republicans and 31.2 percent are Democrats, according to a recent report.
The statewide candidates who have best navigated the change in recent years are those who have positioned themselves as moderates, such as U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and Gov. Bill Ritter.
It’s reasonable to expect both Obama and McCain will jockey for that middle ground in Colorado.
Experienced political hands believe the state may be a bellwether. Former Gov. Bill Owens recently said that “whoever wins Colorado very well may win the presidency. And that’s why we’re going to see so much focus on this state this year.”
It may not be the first time.
Historian Michael F. Holt has written a book due to be released this fall that makes the case that Colorado, newly admitted to the union, played a key role in the highly disputed presidential election of 1876, which Rutherford B. Hayes won by a single electoral vote.
It would be intriguing if history repeated itself here in Colorado 132 years later. No matter how it plays out, the campaign is sure to be good theater and we’re fortunate to have a front row seat.
