CO-Gov

[mds32]

Former Republican State Representative Announces Bid
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/13/republican-victor-mitchell-announces-2018-bid-for-colorado-governor/

[RINO Tom]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

[Heisenberg]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

Blame all the hippie pothead SJW's of Boulder.

[heatcharger]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

Blame all the hippie pothead SJW's of Boulder.

lol

[MT Treasurer]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

The Colorado that voted for Bob Dole is long gone, unfortunately.

[Dr. Arch]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

While I can certainly appreciate this sentiment, there should be left-leaning states in all regions as well, so that people who hold political ideology as an important anchor can live throughout the country, like IL in the Midwest and VA in the South.

In any case, the sharp turn of CO is not only due to demographic shifts, but also the GOP going haywire at the worst possible time.

[Figueira]

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

[Dr. Arch]

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

[RINO Tom]

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

I think Colorado Republicans should absolutely start to portray Rocky Mountain Republicans as "different" in the same way that WV Democrats or MA Republicans do.

[Heisenberg]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

The Colorado that voted for Bob Dole is long gone, unfortunately.

Sad. Many children of those Dole voters are liberals. And remember, Dole's win wasn't even that impressive, his margin of victory was smaller than Nader's performance.

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

I think Colorado Republicans should absolutely start to portray Rocky Mountain Republicans as "different" in the same way that WV Democrats or MA Republicans do.

That's not a bad idea. They could be more socially moderate, and more sportsman/outdoors oriented. It works pretty well for WV Democrats, and MA Republicans (in governor elections).

[MT Treasurer]

The demise of the CO GOP began under the Bush presidency. Trump obviously didn't help, but they badly underperformed in the Obama years as well (even in 2010 and 2014). This is what migration can do to a state. I don't think it is comparable with what happened in VA, though.

Anyway, the gubernatorial race is definitely Leans or maybe Likely D, but it would have been that way even if Clinton had won the presidency.

Sad. Many children of those Dole voters are liberals. And remember, Dole's win wasn't even that impressive, his margin of victory was smaller than Nader's performance.

I think it is quite impressive when you consider that Dole lost Arizona and Nevada in the same election, that Perot got 7% of the vote and that Clinton was obsessed with winning the state again.

[RINO Tom]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

The Colorado that voted for Bob Dole is long gone, unfortunately.

Sad. Many children of those Dole voters are liberals. And remember, Dole's win wasn't even that impressive, his margin of victory was smaller than Nader's performance.

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

I think Colorado Republicans should absolutely start to portray Rocky Mountain Republicans as "different" in the same way that WV Democrats or MA Republicans do.

That's not a bad idea. They could be more socially moderate, and more sportsman/outdoors oriented. It works pretty well for WV Democrats, and MA Republicans (in governor elections).

Yeah, I have never understood why this isn't much more associated with conservatism ... the rugged outdoorsmen who is self-reliant and weary of government seems like the epitome of Western conservatism ... really a shame that hippies came to be associated with environmentalism and conservation.

[Heisenberg]

For some reason, Colorado makes me the saddest of states moving away from Republicans.  I want the GOP to absolutely own the Mountain West, which is an absolutely awesome region that manages to carry its conservatism in a very classy way.

The Colorado that voted for Bob Dole is long gone, unfortunately.

Sad. Many children of those Dole voters are liberals. And remember, Dole's win wasn't even that impressive, his margin of victory was smaller than Nader's performance.

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

I think Colorado Republicans should absolutely start to portray Rocky Mountain Republicans as "different" in the same way that WV Democrats or MA Republicans do.

That's not a bad idea. They could be more socially moderate, and more sportsman/outdoors oriented. It works pretty well for WV Democrats, and MA Republicans (in governor elections).

Yeah, I have never understood why this isn't much more associated with conservatism ... the rugged outdoorsmen who is self-reliant and weary of government seems like the epitome of Western conservatism ... really a shame that hippies came to be associated with environmentalism and conservation.

Totally agree with that. It should go along perfectly with Western self-reliance and hunting tradition.

[President Johnson]

I hope that Ken Salaszar is entering this race. I think he would win easily for the Democrats.

[Figueira]

I think CO is the one Bush/Bush state that's completely gone for Republicans at the presidential level. Not saying that Democrats should take it for granted, but if I had to guess I would say it votes Democratic for the next 5 elections at least. It will probably start voting to the left of NM soon.

I could see this as a Republican landslide map in 2028:

[Hindsight was 2020]

Ed Perlmutter will win this race hands down

[Blackacre]

I think CO is the one Bush/Bush state that's completely gone for Republicans at the presidential level. Not saying that Democrats should take it for granted, but if I had to guess I would say it votes Democratic for the next 5 elections at least. It will probably start voting to the left of NM soon.

I could see this as a Republican landslide map in 2028:

You say that, but VA (a Bush/Bush state) is Democratic in your GOP landslide map.

Anyway, I like the fact that most regions of the country have red, blue, and swing states. There are exceptions (the Northeast has a handful of swing states, depending on if you count PA, but no solidly GOP state) but it's still cool that regions like the South, Midwest, and Mountain west are all to some degree politically heterogenous.

[BuckeyeNut]

Pretty excited for State Senator Mike Johnson's campaign.

[Figueira]

I think CO is the one Bush/Bush state that's completely gone for Republicans at the presidential level. Not saying that Democrats should take it for granted, but if I had to guess I would say it votes Democratic for the next 5 elections at least. It will probably start voting to the left of NM soon.

I could see this as a Republican landslide map in 2028:

You say that, but VA (a Bush/Bush state) is Democratic in your GOP landslide map.

Anyway, I like the fact that most regions of the country have red, blue, and swing states. There are exceptions (the Northeast has a handful of swing states, depending on if you count PA, but no solidly GOP state) but it's still cool that regions like the South, Midwest, and Mountain west are all to some degree politically heterogenous.

Yeah, VA will probably be gone for Republicans soon but I can see Trump winning it if he does really well in 2020.

[Kingpoleon]

These are the best candidates for each party:

Republicans: Cynthia Coffman, John Suthers, Walker Stapleton, Ryan Frazier
Democrats: Bill Ritter, Barbara O'Brien, Joe Garcia, Ken Salazar, Mike Johnston, Michael Hancock, Cary Kennedy

[publicunofficial]

I like the fact that Colorado votes for my party so I can't blame Republicans for wanting that too.

Anyway, the gubernatorial election should be competitive, right?

With Trump poisoning the GOP brand, maybe not.

I think Colorado Republicans should absolutely start to portray Rocky Mountain Republicans as "different" in the same way that WV Democrats or MA Republicans do.

That's not a bad idea. They could be more socially moderate, and more sportsman/outdoors oriented. It works pretty well for WV Democrats, and MA Republicans (in governor elections).

I'd imagine CO Republicans are starting to face a similar problem to the WA Republicans (I think WA/OR are very comparable to where Colorado is heading in the future).

In order to compete in an increasingly liberal and urban/suburban state, the Republicans would probably have to moderate on social/domestic issues. The problem is that the vast majority of Republican office holders and party faithful are arch-conservative Ken Buck/Tom Tancredo types whose policies have absolutely no appeal in the Denver metro area. Similar to how Washington Republicans attempt to be moderate but are ultimately dictated by conservatives east of the Cascades.

[coloradocowboi]

OK, work in CO politics so I'm gonna break this all down because so many people get this state so so wrong.

While I can certainly appreciate this sentiment, there should be left-leaning states in all regions as well, so that people who hold political ideology as an important anchor can live throughout the country, like IL in the Midwest and VA in the South.

In any case, the sharp turn of CO is not only due to demographic shifts, but also the GOP going haywire at the worst possible time.

This is partially correct (although demographics are so important, because CO is getting more Hispanic and younger). The big problem with the GOP in CO is that JeffCo and Arapahoe are full of highly educated, white centrists who are economically pretty conservative, but turned off by the GOP's turn towards anti-intellectualism since Bush. The margins have shrunken drastically since 2000 in these counties, and I think that without a pro-environment, pro-gay, pro-repro candidate the GOP cannot and will not win them (or Larimer or Broomfield). But demographics muddy the picture because the state is lurching left economically too. People are absolutely correct comparing it to WA. I don't think CO will be competitive for the GOP at the presidential level for at leas the next 20 years barring a major change.

Yeah, I have never understood why this isn't much more associated with conservatism ... the rugged outdoorsmen who is self-reliant and weary of government seems like the epitome of Western conservatism ... really a shame that hippies came to be associated with environmentalism and conservation.

This misses the point. The "hippies" came to be associated with environmentalism because the Republicans are openly hostile to basic science. Without support for drastic action on climate change, the GOP will continue to alienate CO moderates and miss out on the opportunity to win in this state. And I'm not just talking about local Republicans. If the national party is still perceived as being pro-pollution, anti-science, it will tar local Repubs. Look at the margins for State House and State Senate races in Jeffco and Broomfield. It is becoming closer and closer to impossible for any Republican to win there. The GOP has an image problem in CO that won't be fixed by running "Mountain West Repubs"--also because this state is filled with flatlanders fleeing the Midwest now.

I hope that Ken Salaszar is entering this race. I think he would win easily for the Democrats.

I absolutely hope not. He would hemorrhage votes on the Left, but luckily I doubt he runs.

Ed Perlmutter will win this race hands down

Far more likely. Ed won win 'bigly.' But I am bummed that we can't move someone young into that position because it would be a powerful stepping stone to run for President. (BUT IF YOU'RE READING THIS GOV. HICKENLOOPER PLEASE DO NOT RUN!)

Pretty excited for State Senator Mike Johnson's campaign.

He has changed all of his positions and the CEA hates him. He won't win. Nor should he. He is the epitomization of the LoDo privileged frat boy that has made Denver an expensive hellhole.

These are the best candidates for each party:

Republicans: Cynthia Coffman, John Suthers, Walker Stapleton, Ryan Frazier
Democrats: Bill Ritter, Barbara O'Brien, Joe Garcia, Ken Salazar, Mike Johnston, Michael Hancock, Cary Kennedy

This is actually a really comprehensive list of who will not be the next governor. Cynthia is corrupt. Suthers is old news. Walker is a sweaty fat mess. Ryan lost three winnable elections. Bill Ritter has already been politically murdered. Barbara wants none of this, and neither do Joe Garcia or Ken Salazar. See above for Mike Johnston. Hancock is a lightweight.

Cary has a real shot, but I would bet she is Perlmutter's AG and then takes on Gardner (and wins easily because he sucks) in 2020. Other to look at for Gov. and LG: Joe Salazar (backed Bernie, kind of hated but a really smart guy), Joe Neguse (a rising star who got shot down too early), Leroy Garcia (Pueblo native with military experience), and Crisanta Duran (corrupt af but backed by the establishment so yolo).

For the GOP, George Brauchler is a risky bet that Trumpism-lite would win on a law and order message. Wayne Williams is also a voice of reason. Their big problem is that they have no young, vibrant people that aren't either total jerks (Owen Hill), tied to Trump (Clarice Navarro), or already big losers (Jon Keyser).

I'm saying it will be Perlmutter-Kennedy vs. Brauchler-Navarro 57-41.

[Holmes]

It's Colorado. Republicans will nominate someone horrible and give Democrats an easy shot at the governor's mansion (again), not that I think it would be difficult for Democrats to win here in the middle of a Trump presidency.

[SATW]

GOP shouldn't even try for Gov. We have no real bench because the state party is a joke. They should just prepare to help Cory Gardner in his re-election campaign in 2020 and keep Mike Coffman in office in 2018 and 2020. they are our only good officeholders in literally all of colorado.

[BuckeyeNut]

Pretty excited for State Senator Mike Johnson's campaign.

He has changed all of his positions and the CEA hates him. He won't win. Nor should he. He is the epitomization of the LoDo privileged frat boy that has made Denver an expensive hellhole.

Well that's a damn shame. What happened to him?