Colorado Election Analysis from former Congressman Bob Beauprez
Politically astute observers know that Colorado has been tough territory for conservatives the last few election cycles, but like the rest of America, there is optimism for that Red Wave to yield some good results in the Mile High state on November 8.
As Politico recently highlighted in a lengthy feature, GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is running a near perfect campaign and giving the 14-year incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet one heck of a fight. Politico – which is notoriously a left leaning publication – has concluded that O’Dea may be the big surprise winner three weeks from now.
Colorado gained an 8th Congressional District this cycle thanks to the 2020 census, and current State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer is heading to victory. Kirkmeyer is a Colorado native with a dairy farming background and was also a former Weld County Commissioner. Weld County is makes up the greatest part of the new district. Real Clear Politics has the race as “lean Republican”, and Kirkmeyer looks ready to prove them right.
Currently the Democrats hold all four statewide constitutional offices – Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney General. For a change, this cycle the GOP primary voters nominated outstanding mainstream candidates in each race. Don’t be surprised when Republicans knock off current incumbents in two or three of those contests.
The state legislature has also been in majority control of the Democrats, but the GOP looks to make gains there, too, and has a real shot at taking back the Senate majority.
It’s quite telling that in spite of being in control of the executive branch and the legislature both at the federal and state level, all the Colorado Democrats seem to be able to talk about is abortion. Republicans are running on solid ideas to fix the massive problems – inflation, crime, the border crisis, education, etc. – that the Democrats’ policies have inflicted upon Colorado and the nation.