Colorado has a loud libertarian subculture; between it and the Hard Right ranch and oil people (the High Plains of Colorado are much like western Kansas and the Texas Panhandle in their politics) are the first people to vote. But they have limited numbers.
Latte liberals? The difference between conservative and liberal wins in Colorado politics is the large Hispanic (largely Mexican-American) vote.
There's a little bit of everything out here. Republicans rely on the yeomen of Greeley and the High Dessert and the Religious Right in Colorado Springs. Democrats rely on the academic communities in Northern Colorado, the ski slopes and the minority voters rely on the big city, Pueblo and the Southern Mountains. The swing voters are in the 'burbs and it generally is based on environmental protection vs. energy development.
