Posted on 11/04/2007 1:01:32 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
If Colorado is any barometer, the Republican Party may lose more ground in the 2008 elections. Colorado Republicans took a beating in 2006. In the Governor’s race Democrat Bill Ritter demolished Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez 56-41%. Beauprez’ vacated House seat flipped to the Democrats as Ed Perlmutter trounced Rick O’Donnell 55-42%. Looking ahead, Republicans in Colorado face multiple challenges in 2008 with a key Senate race for the seat held by retiring Republican Wayne Allard, the Presidential race and a possible ballot initiative to abolish racial preferences in public education, employment and contracting. Many eyes will be trained on Colorado to see if this generally Red state will continue its leftward turn.
Colorado, according to University of Virginia professor Larry J. Sabato, holds the distinction as the state that has “moved most swiftly in recent years from Red to Blue.” Several factors account for this change.
University of Denver Professor Seth Masket explains: “The first is demographics. A lot of the recent immigration to Colorado is coming from California and other left-leaning states. More Democrats than Republicans are moving here.” Indeed the advantage in party registration held by Republicans has diminished over time, now down to approximately 150,000 votes. There are also many more wealthy donors for the Democratic Party. Well-heeled (and more liberal) businessmen from telecommunications and high tech industries who have moved to the state ensure that Democratic campaigns are well-funded.
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
This goes back a few months, but the overall condition remains the same. Hopefuly, the overreaching by the state’s Democrats will be remembered.
Now isn’t that interesting! This is very similar to an article that coincidentally just showed up in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today, stating that Pennsylvania is going blue! It’s hard to believe this was merely chance — it looks like the DNC sent out some talking points.
State’s political color may change
Montgomery County win by Dems would show east going blue
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07308/831019-178.stm
Don’t count on it.
The Colorado GOP remains asleep at the wheel.
Larry Sabato evidently hasn’t been paying attention to New Hampshire. This place has turned completely upside down.
Et tu, Colorado?
Nevada turned blue, Ohio is turning blue, and now Colorado is going blue. This doesn’t look good.
On the other hand, Florida turned red as evidenced by the last election. In 2000 they were a swing state, in 04 they were clearly for Bush.
What is most surprising is that this is a conservative publication. It seems that conservatives have accepted the new color scheme and in a few cases even embraced it. A good conservative site I refer to sometimes is called Red State.
Colorado goes California. Looks like they’ve done enough damage back home, so now they’re moving out to spread it.
Colorado and Virginia are trending Blue as is Ohio.
But in the end the GOP Presidential Nominee should be able to hold all three in 2008.
By 2012 Texas will be trending Blue and the above states will be blue.
It’s called being “stuck on stupid.” From my standpoint, this headline means something else entirely. Time to rid the red !
Then the revolution will come.
btt
Give your thanks to Arnold.
We have had a lack of leadership at the state level.The current chair Dick Wadhams has been out of state winning
elections in other states.
Some say he is Karl Rove's heir apparent.
He is currently visiting every county re-building the state party.
i lived in durango for 10 years. that statement sums up many of colorados problems.
coloradoans love the californians money (and the texans), but they never thought about the fact that the californicators moving in bring their teenage children with them to infect the local teenagers.
good luck colorado.
Seriously thinking of moving to Wyoming now that we are retired.
Ritter has just ordered collective bargaining for state employees without bothering with the state legislature. We’re turning into a dictatorship here.
No, you simply take advantage of the reverse trend.
Colorado is going Blue due to immigration from Mexico and California.
Virginia is going Blue do to migration from DC, MD and the NE.
Ohio has been hurt by the changing economy and will be the easiest to retain for the GOP.
Texas will trend Blue starting on 2012 and due to the growth of the Hispanic population will be Blue by 2020.
Now, which current Blue states can the GOP help turn Red?
Perhaps the upper midwest and Pennsylvania.
There are states which are having that trend, as well.
Louisiana is the most notable example. And the upper Midwest was, although Bush is highly unpopular there, and I think that the GOP nominee can make inroads there if he makes the right moves.
Louisiana has been a Red Presidential state for quite some time and it ain’t going back to being Blue.
But if Rudy gets the nomination you may see a party polar shift.
One of my friends I have known for 10 yrs lives in upstate NY. She told me 2 weeks ago that everyone up there is a Republican but she doesn’t care (she is a Dem) because she doesn’t even have to vote...NYC takes care of everything for her and making sure the state will remain BLUE.
Hillary won UpState.
Well, the trend is now filtering to the local level, as shown by the most recent elections there. And we may very well elect another U.S. Senator there next year.
Thus, while she is vulnerable she will be tough to take down.
John Kennedy looks like he will run for the seat and will have a good chance.
However, Mary will not roll over.
Nevada is NOT blue. Granted, Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, is considered a blue county because of the power of the Culinary union, the massive influx of Californians, and the large number of Mexicans, but Clark County still has rather libertarian leaning. The rest of Nevada is red.
Bush carried Nevada in 2000 and 2004, though Katie Couric and company refused to call the state for Bush on election night, 2004, because it would have put Bush over the top in terms of the number of electoral college votes.
The state of Nevada might be a blue state in the future if the influx of liberals continues unabated and worse, if all the illegals in Nevada are granted amnesty (God forbid)
and the right to vote.
Add Nevada to the List with Colorado, Virginia and Ohio.
Libs ruined California, then moved to Colorado. As a neighbor to Colorado, I've noticed the transformation. Too bad.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Illegal immigration, and all its attendant problems, is the lynch pin for 2008. Republicans need to hammer at this law and order issue. It has massive bipartisan appeal.
I shared that with Dick Wadhams in September at a Chaffee county luncheon.
All the more reason for conservatives to speak up loudly in primary elections to get the RINOs out because if conservatives stay home again or vote third party, the dems will gain seats and strength.
Don't count yer Floridian electoral votes before the dems are through digging up their dead voters.
With "Toe-Tappin' Charlie" Christ at the head of the GOP in Florida, are hopes are fading with each mistep this RINO makes.
I saw an article on FR last month saying that Nevada showed a Democrat dominance via a poll for the first time since 1992. Of course, the polls aren’t always accurate, but with the influx of Californians and illegals and the fact that they voted Harry Reid into the Senate 3 times, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Bob Beauprez was a surprisingly weak candidate from day one of the campaign. He was backed by the party big wigs while a much stronger candidate was left in the wings.
The 7th cong. dist. which was won by Ed Perlmutter was a court-designed district after the court overturned the district the legislature had made. The court designed it to encircle the city of Denver, encompassing the Republican western suburbs and the democrat eastern suburbs. Interestingly, the western suburbs are bounded by the mountains, so there is little population growth opportunity. The eastern suburbs are bounded by wide-open plains which can continue to grow. It is a mess of a district, in which folks have very little in common.
Colorado has a lot of rebuilding to do. It needs to start at the legislative level at this point. I don’t think all is lost, but I think it’s going to be hard.
Meh...
From my own personal experience, Colorado has been blue for a very long time. Their brief shift to the red was a short lived flash.
Kansas... that’s where I keep urging my husband to move. A move back to sanity and away from what has happened to my dear CO.
“Nevada is NOT blue. Granted, Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, is considered a blue county because of the power of the Culinary union, the massive influx of Californians, and the large number of Mexicans, but Clark County still has rather libertarian leaning. The rest of Nevada is red.”
And how would a population breakdown look, of Clark County (blue) vs. the rest of Nevada (red)?
We had a Repubican Govenor Owen, who was a wishy washy as they come, essentially wrecking the party
Your color scheme is giving me a headache. I have to read it backwards. Red means communist rodent to me. I’m not joking. I keep extensive records like Dave Leip and blue means Republican to me, always has, and never differently. We have to stop using the leftist propaganda color switcheroo.
Buy some acreage and move to the middle of nowhere.
You still get all the advantages of Colorado living (weather, cost of living) with none of the headaches of living with the left-wing wackos in the cities!
:-)
No it's a good thing. The more leftist we can send back to Colorado and elsewhere, the better for California!
The more libs moving from California to Colorado and elsewhere is a big plus for California.
I hope the trend continues!!
Maybe we can get Boxer to move back to NY where she came from.
If Colorado gives its illegals drivers’ licenses, and motor voter is allowed, then Republicans stand no chance whatsoever of winning in Colorado.
Big deal, huh.
Get ready for the democrat tidal wave fellers. The RINO's sold us out, and that's evident by what Bush has allowed to happen with Medicare Medical Bills, No Child Left Behind and the illegal immigration disaster.
The Bush family got theirs, The Kennedy's have got theirs, The Clintons have got thiers, The Colin Powells have got theirs....
No conspiracy, just the nepotistic drivel that allows a civilization to limp along till the Chinese kick our asses in 2-3 generations. Let's see about 40 years... I might live that long.
These pictures say it all...
My kids aren't going to go off and die for these pack of a-holes. I've just had it with the pr#cks. Just discouraging to have the lies palmed off as just "spin"...when it all boils down to removing freedoms, making people dependent and screwing the country.
Yet one more reason why the GOP is got an uphill battle in 2008. And this one is for all of the marbles.
That’s the problem with Nevada. The bulk of the state’s population is in blue Clark County, which is where the bulk of the out-state dems are moving.
Nevadans (native born dyed in the wool conservatives) have to hold the dems at bay. Another problem is the fact that Nevada has a great number of voters who vote libertarian.
Harry Reid won re-election in 2004 by only 450 votes.
6,000 Nevadans voted for the libertarian candidate. If only a small portion of these libertarians had voted Republican, Reid would not be in the Senate today.
By the way, I believe Bush won Nevada in 2004 by 12,000 votes. I still don’t believe that Nevada is a blue state yet, but I’m worried about future elections.....that margin of victory was too close for comfort.
Interestingly, I once saw a breakdown even more detailed than just the county level and I noticed that there was a correlation between blue and the Indian reservations (not just in southwest Colorado, but I noticed it in New Mexico as well). It looked like the reservations were some of the first places to go blue, which isn't all that surprising considering how dependent on the government most of those people are.
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