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When Colorado Democratic Party Chairwoman Pat Waak came to Glenwood Springs last week, she came bearing a message from John Hickenlooper: “Tell everyone in Glenwood Springs hi and sorry I can't be there.”
That's nice, but it's not enough. If Hickenlooper is going to win Colorado, he has to win places like this, and that means he's going to have to show up.
Waak knows that. Hickenlooper does, too. He may be wildly popular in Denver, and pretty darn popular outside of Denver, too, but to win as governor of Colorado he has to win the whole state, and that means winning the Western Slope.
His likely Republican foe, Scott McInnis, is an old hat on the Western Slope, and he mastered the art of winning it. As a congressman, he was an unbeatable force. Democrats rarely pitted anyone against him, and when they did, they lost.
McInnis has often argued that winning any state election comes down to winning the Western Slope, and there's some logic to that. Figure liberal Boulder and conservative Denver counter each other out. The conservative 'burbs counter liberal Denver. That mostly leaves the Western Slope to battle it out for the winner.
That's why this part of the state has become a big battleground, especially in recent elections. Four years ago, Gov. Bill Ritter and his Republican rival Pete Coors actually held a debate in Rifle. Who'd a thunk?
Obama made an appearance in Grand Junction, not exactly a hotbed of liberalism. Todd Palin dropped by Glenwood Springs for coffee at the Village Inn (escorted by Scott McInnis, by the way), which is not exactly a hotbed of Alaskan separatists, but it is a hotbed of snowmobilers.
“I think what we will start to see now that he's starting to put his campaign together is he's going to start campaigning around the state and showing that he does understand the state,” Waak says.
The numbers shift around a little bit, but generally speaking, Colorado is roughly one third Republican, one third Democrat and one third independent. The Western Slope is full of those independent voters, and that makes winning here all the more important for whomever is going to be the next governor.
McInnis has winning the Western Slope down to a science. After term after term as Congressman representing a vast swath of western Colorado and a chunk of the middle over to Pueblo, McInnis had an ‘I'm one of you' message that resounded. He didn't wear a cowboy hat, but he didn't have to. He was born and raised in Glenwood Springs, he knew the issues and he had a charisma that charmed.
Still, he's been out of office for several years now. He's been schilling for the oil and gas industry, and in a part of the state that has seen lots of population growth, plenty around here have no idea who he is. It's no slam dunk for McInnis.
Nor is it mission impossible for Hickenlooper. As mayor of Denver, he has face and name recognition that resounds across the state, and his easygoing manner has won him fans far beyond the city limits. His business background wins him points, especially from those independents. And his background as an oil and gas man gives him a little ammo against the vicious attacks any Democrat is sure to get from that camp.
“He's the Republicans' worst nightmare,” Waak says.
That's probably true. But Democrats are Democrats' worst nightmare, and Hickenlooper is going to have a tough time getting past that.
Colorado Democrats enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent elections, claiming the governor's seat, a majority in both houses of the state legislature and gains in the congressional delegation. Republicans have been rebounding, though. Approval ratings for Democratic President Barack Obama and Gov. Bill Ritter have been plummeting. Republicans are banking on erasing some of their losses in 2010, and as we all know, Republicans and banking go hand in hand.
“There's no question that we're going to have a lot that we're going to have to deal with,” Ronnie Carleton, chief of staff for Rep. John Salazar, told a crowd of Democrats who gathered at the Hotel Colorado last week for the party's annual Martin Luther King dinner. “Our opposition's becoming organized. They're energized, and as we all know, they're becoming very, very vocal.”
You can bet you'll be seeing Hickenlooper getting very vocal, too, in the months to come, getting his face in front of Western Slope voters and reminding them that he's not just the mayor of Denver. He's a Coloradan. If he's going to have a shot at winning, he better.
Write to David Frey via his Web site, www.davidfrey.me.
That's nice, but it's not enough. If Hickenlooper is going to win Colorado, he has to win places like this, and that means he's going to have to show up.
Waak knows that. Hickenlooper does, too. He may be wildly popular in Denver, and pretty darn popular outside of Denver, too, but to win as governor of Colorado he has to win the whole state, and that means winning the Western Slope.
His likely Republican foe, Scott McInnis, is an old hat on the Western Slope, and he mastered the art of winning it. As a congressman, he was an unbeatable force. Democrats rarely pitted anyone against him, and when they did, they lost.
McInnis has often argued that winning any state election comes down to winning the Western Slope, and there's some logic to that. Figure liberal Boulder and conservative Denver counter each other out. The conservative 'burbs counter liberal Denver. That mostly leaves the Western Slope to battle it out for the winner.
That's why this part of the state has become a big battleground, especially in recent elections. Four years ago, Gov. Bill Ritter and his Republican rival Pete Coors actually held a debate in Rifle. Who'd a thunk?
Obama made an appearance in Grand Junction, not exactly a hotbed of liberalism. Todd Palin dropped by Glenwood Springs for coffee at the Village Inn (escorted by Scott McInnis, by the way), which is not exactly a hotbed of Alaskan separatists, but it is a hotbed of snowmobilers.
“I think what we will start to see now that he's starting to put his campaign together is he's going to start campaigning around the state and showing that he does understand the state,” Waak says.
The numbers shift around a little bit, but generally speaking, Colorado is roughly one third Republican, one third Democrat and one third independent. The Western Slope is full of those independent voters, and that makes winning here all the more important for whomever is going to be the next governor.
McInnis has winning the Western Slope down to a science. After term after term as Congressman representing a vast swath of western Colorado and a chunk of the middle over to Pueblo, McInnis had an ‘I'm one of you' message that resounded. He didn't wear a cowboy hat, but he didn't have to. He was born and raised in Glenwood Springs, he knew the issues and he had a charisma that charmed.
Still, he's been out of office for several years now. He's been schilling for the oil and gas industry, and in a part of the state that has seen lots of population growth, plenty around here have no idea who he is. It's no slam dunk for McInnis.
Nor is it mission impossible for Hickenlooper. As mayor of Denver, he has face and name recognition that resounds across the state, and his easygoing manner has won him fans far beyond the city limits. His business background wins him points, especially from those independents. And his background as an oil and gas man gives him a little ammo against the vicious attacks any Democrat is sure to get from that camp.
“He's the Republicans' worst nightmare,” Waak says.
That's probably true. But Democrats are Democrats' worst nightmare, and Hickenlooper is going to have a tough time getting past that.
Colorado Democrats enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent elections, claiming the governor's seat, a majority in both houses of the state legislature and gains in the congressional delegation. Republicans have been rebounding, though. Approval ratings for Democratic President Barack Obama and Gov. Bill Ritter have been plummeting. Republicans are banking on erasing some of their losses in 2010, and as we all know, Republicans and banking go hand in hand.
“There's no question that we're going to have a lot that we're going to have to deal with,” Ronnie Carleton, chief of staff for Rep. John Salazar, told a crowd of Democrats who gathered at the Hotel Colorado last week for the party's annual Martin Luther King dinner. “Our opposition's becoming organized. They're energized, and as we all know, they're becoming very, very vocal.”
You can bet you'll be seeing Hickenlooper getting very vocal, too, in the months to come, getting his face in front of Western Slope voters and reminding them that he's not just the mayor of Denver. He's a Coloradan. If he's going to have a shot at winning, he better.
Write to David Frey via his Web site, www.davidfrey.me.
