Two potential presidential candidates will be in Colorado next week, indicating the importance of the state in the two upcoming election cycles, political observers say.
Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen of Virginia will speak Tuesday at the Jefferson County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner and attend a fundraiser for his 2006 re-election campaign, said Dick Wadhams, his chief of staff.
John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts and the Democrats’ 2004 presidential nominee, will be in Colorado on Feb. 24 to meet with Ed Perlmutter, a candidate for Congress in the 7th District, Perlmutter’s campaign said.
Kerry’s office did not respond to a request for comment. However, the senator is expected to endorse Perlmutter during his visit, sources said. Perlmutter, a former state senator, was co-chair of Kerry’s Colorado presidential campaign.
Both Kerry and Allen are considered potential candidates for president in 2008, and neither senator has closed the door on the possibility.
“It’s expected to be a close race in 2008, and Colorado is a key state,” said Jennifer Duffy, managing editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Potential presidential candidates know it and are making their trips early.”
President Bush beat Kerry in Colorado 52 percent to 47 percent.
The 7th Congressional District race is widely considered the most competitive open seat in the country. It encompasses parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties. Carved out during redistricting four years ago, it is the most evenly split congressional district in the state.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, who now represents the district, is running for governor.
Along with Perlmutter, former Democratic state Rep. Peggy Lamm and Herb Rubenstein, a Democrat and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Colorado State University, are running for the seat. Rick O’Donnell, executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, is the sole Republican candidate.
If Kerry runs for president again, he wouldn’t be the first candidate to do so. For instance, former President Nixon lost by a narrow margin to John F. Kennedy in 1960 only to win eight years later.
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.
