Republican Bob Beauprez spent the better part of his last Sunday before the election gathering votes one at a time over the phone and keeping volunteers enthused as they pored through phone lists.
But he started his day at Now Faith Church in northeast Denver, speaking to the predominantly black congregation about the values he learned on a Lafayette farm.
Beauprez told the group that northeast Denver was once home to strong families, leaders, clean neighborhoods and good jobs, but “somebody forgot along the way.”
He told the group how 35 years ago he had switched parties and said, “I’m not suggesting you’ve got to change parties, but I am suggesting that maybe you look at whether or not allegiance to one has necessarily been good for you.”
Encouraged by what he felt was a successful campaign stop – at least one parishioner told the congressman the visit had switched his vote – Beauprez said afterward he had confidence in his ability to relate to people.
“If I could get in front of about a million people, we’d probably win this thing,” he said.
From there, Beauprez and his wife, Claudia, hit the Republican call centers, shaking hands and thanking volunteers and staff for their work.
At one half-finished office in Wheat Ridge, about a dozen college Republicans sat in what they labeled the “War Room,” calling voters to get them to the polls.
In all, Beauprez spokesman John Marshall said, staff members and volunteers made just fewer than 100,000 calls across the state Saturday.
Beauprez, who won the 7th Congressional District by 121 votes in 2002, said the final weekend is critical.
“We have been convinced for a long time, in spite of what some of the polls say, … that it’s going to be a close race,” said Beauprez, who has been behind Bill Ritter by double digits in most polls. “I’ve been telling our faithful that this feels like ’02 all over again.”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
