This column will serve to inform the DU community on politics in Colorado. From my perspective as a political science major who observes and occasionally participates in politics, I seek to cut through the spin and get to the heart of campaigns, issues and candidates that affect students.
If you’ve turned on a television in the past month, you’ve no doubt seen the deluge of political advertisements shaming some candidates while lifting up others; it’s not just television, though, as candidates and campaigns are increasingly targeting voters online and on social media. The Denver market is especially saturated with these ads.
A great deal happened with these elections over the summer, including debates, a visit from President Obama and the inevitable release of some cringeworthy videos of the candidates. Here are two key races this fall that all students should be observing.
U.S. Representative for Colorado District 6
While control of the U.S. House of Representatives isn’t likely to switch to Democrats this election, one race capturing national attention and national money is an effective microcosm of national politics this year: Colorado district 6, which encompasses the south and east Denver suburbs, including Aurora. This district is far more competitive and diverse than the incumbent Mike Coffman has faced in previous elections, and he barely clung to victory in 2012.
Coffman is being challenged by former Speaker of the Colorado House Andrew Romanoff, who has lambasted the Representative for being too extreme and part of an ineffective Congress. The latter accusation does hold some water; Real Clear Politics, an organization that summates polls and is a great resource for state and national races, puts congressional approval at a measly 13.9 percent. The two men have also battled for support from women and minorities, two key voting blocs.
Coffman has backed down from some of his most conservative stances in order to moderate and suit his district. This is an interesting race to watch not because it will redefine the majority the House, but because, if Coffman can win in this area, Republicans should take a hard look at his strategy and figure out how to win the votes they are currently losing.
Colorado Governor’s race
Neither pundit nor politico expected this race to be as close as it is. The contest is between incumbent Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, and Bob Beauprez, a former Republican U.S. Representative from Lafayette, in Colorado’s 7th district.
During his term in office, Hickenlooper has mastered a moderate, quirky image that led to comparatively little flak up until last year, when he signed several gun control bills into law following the Aurora theater shooting and the Sandy Hook shooting. These bills generated a firestorm of controversy for state Democrats, leading to two successful recalls in Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
After this and the controversy regarding Nathan Dunlap, a convicted murder sentenced to death for the murder of four people, Hickenlooper has made himself vulnerable with the voters, resulting in a close race. Hickenlooper granted an indefinite reprieve for Dunlap last year; critics accuse him of failing to make a decision.
Hickenlooper was also caught on video this summer making inexplicable comments to a group of Colorado sheriffs, wherein he told them he would not have signed the gun bills into law if he knew they would cause such a controversy. He also admitted he lacked all the facts when signing certain bills and denied listening to out-of-state interests like former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, although phone records revealed he did, in fact, take calls from Bloomberg. The video was a debacle.
Beauprez was revealed to have spoken on the record a few years ago making comments reminiscent of Mitt Romney’s disastrous “47 percent” remarks. Colorado Democrats seized on this gaffe to make Beauprez appear out of touch with working families. Beauprez, who ran for governor in 2006 and lost, needs to prove himself in another statewide contest. If he loses to Hickenlooper, he will be accused of having made the same mistakes his campaign was plagued with eight years ago.
The race is a dead-heat; recent polling summed up by Real Clear Politics gives Hickenlooper a 1.3 percent lead, while a poll conducted last week also puts him up one point. A poll the week before, however, has Beauprez up by one. This is anyone’s game, though the incumbent has maintained a solid fundraising lead.
