BRIGHTON, Colo.—Democrats made such dramatic gains in Colorado over the last decade that they nearly wiped the state political map clean of Republicans—and nowhere was their dominance more evident than in the congressional delegation.
As recently as 2002, Colorado sent just two Democrats to the House, from liberal districts in Denver and Boulder. Eight years later, Democrats have a 5-2 House advantage over Republicans, two Democratic senators, and a state government firmly in Democratic control.
Those congressional gains may come undone next week, however, when the GOP hopes to exploit voter dissatisfaction to pick off three House Democrats. Reps. Betsy Markey, Ed Perlmutter and John Salazar have spent most of the campaign playing defense and distancing themselves from Washington.
“If trending holds up, we should be in pretty good shape,” said Ryan Frazier, who is challenging Perlmutter in a suburban Denver district.
Talking to several dozen conservatives at a library in the Denver suburb of Brighton, Frazier got the crowd clapping when he predicted big GOP gains. “We have an opportunity to send some voices to Washington to actually do right by the people,” Frazier said.
It’s a common GOP theme in Colorado’s federal races. Democrats have both Colorado Senate seats for the first time since the 1970s, but their junior senator, Democrat Michael Bennet, is in a neck-and-neck race against Republican Ken Buck.
In the other House contests, state Republican Reps. Cory Gardner in eastern Colorado and Scott Tipton in western Colorado are within striking distance of ousting Markey and Salazar, respectively.
“Colorado is tough for Democrats across the board this year,” said Gretchen Gaede, a 36-year-old Democratic activist in Fort Collins. Gaede is pulling for Markey but worries about the anti-incumbent mood and the economy.
“Everybody is looking for answers, and it’s hard to get them,” Gaede said.
Colorado’s Democrats are trying to show independence while defending their votes for the stimulus and health care overhaul, which have earned barbs from the right as too expensive.
At an August cookout with supporters, Markey was frank about the difficulties facing Democratic incumbents.
“Sometimes I think we don’t appreciate that things could’ve been a lot worse,” Markey said. “Change takes time. Change is hard.”
She warned that if Republicans are returned to power in Congress, “nothing will get done—it’ll be gridlock.”
“I don’t think you go into a job with the attitude that you’re there to stop things,” she said.
Republicans seem confident they’ll oust Markey, and national Democrats seem to agree. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved $700,000 in air time last summer to campaign for Markey but shifted the money elsewhere—a signal a party has conceded her seat.
The DCCC has spent more than $1 million against Tipton and about $465,000 against Frazier. Outside interest groups aligned with the GOP have spent more than $1.4 million against Salazar and more than $600,000 against Perlmutter.
The three districts are the only ones considered competitive in Colorado. The Democratic districts centered on Denver and Boulder haven’t attracted serious GOP attention, and Democrats have long written off two districts centered in Colorado Springs and Denver’s conservative southern suburbs.
The Democratic Party is working hard to get dispirited supporters back to the polls. First lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton have visited to urge Democrats to vote, but early polling numbers released by the Colorado secretary of state show Democrats are voting at a slightly slower clip than Republicans.
“Colorado is subject to the same political tides we’re seeing across the nation. We’re seeing the same trends in terms of voter enthusiasm—Republicans just seem more excited to vote,” said University of Denver political scientist Peter Hanson. “Really what it’s going to come down to is who does a better job getting their voters out.”
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