Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator who is one of Hillary Clinton’s top surrogates, will visit Colorado Springs Saturday afternoon before heading to Highlands Ranch to campaign in support of Democratic state Sen. Morgan Carroll, who is locked in a tight battle in the 6th Congressional District with incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Coffman.
Sanders will headline a 4 p.m.rally at Colorado College in an effort to get younger voters to the polls. As he has at other recent rallies, Sanders is expected to focus heavily on Clinton’s economic vision and contrast that with Donald Trump’s, while mentioning her plans to raise the minimum wage, fight climate change and push for making public colleges and universities tuition-free, a topic sure to resonate with the crowd.
Clinton is relying on harnessing the enthusiasm Sanders has captured with younger voters and Democrats in this state — — to get them to the ballot box. Through Thursday, Democrats were maintaining a small edge in early voting in Colorado, though the GOP has narrowed the gap.
Sanders will be canvassing the state as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Saturday evening.
Polls in recent days in Colorado have shown the presidential race tightening. A University of Denver poll released Wednesday showed Clinton and Trump tied at 39 percent in a four-way race. A poll released on Thursday from Louisville-based GOP firm Magellan Strategies — 44 percent to 38 percent, with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson drawing 7 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein drawing 2 percent. The survey showed she has a 27 percent edge among voters between the ages of 18-34 years old — the demographic Sanders is targeting with his visit — and a 10 point edge among unaffiliated voters, which are the largest voting bloc in the state.
Later, Sanders is scheduled to appear for a 7 p.m. rally for congressional candidate Morgan Carroll at ThunderRidge High School. Carroll is fighting a fierce contest with Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Coffman, who has distanced himself from Trump for weeks. Wednesday figures showed affiliated Republicans pulling slightly ahead of Democrats in early ballot returns in that district. Sanders and Carroll will be joined by State Rep. Joe Salazar, who had thrown his support heavily behind Sanders in the Democratic primary.
