A New Map Out West
The GOP has ruled the Rockies, but demographics give Democrats new hope
Big brother. Dean said the key to the Democratic resurgence lies in what he sees as the rightward, interventionist shift of the national GOP. "The Republican Party has become the big-brother party, and this is a very libertarian part of the country. ... [Westerners] don't believe it's the government's place to tell them what to do with their personal lives, and this is a government that specializes in telling people what to do in their personal lives."
For his part, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman told U.S. News: "We do need to have aggressive efforts in the West. ... The complexion of the electorate has changed out there. And if we're smart, then we are working to make sure we reach those new voters."
But it is the Democrats who have gotten most of the good news in recent years. In 2002, Democrats won the governorships in Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. In 2004, while President Bush was winning most of the states, Democrats scored in state and local races, even winning the governorship of Montana with tough-talking, horseback-riding rancher Brian Schweitzer, who criticizes free-trade agreements as unfair to American workers and opposes gun control. In Colorado, Democrats won control of the state House and Senate for the first time in more than 40 years. And two Hispanic brothers, Ken and John Salazar, both centrist Democrats, won Republican-held seats in Congress-Ken in the Senate and John in the House.
This year, the GOP is under attack from Helena to Albuquerque. In Montana, buzz-cut farmer Jon Tester, president of the state Senate, is mounting a serious challenge to Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who had ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In New Mexico, Democratic Attorney General Patricia Madrid is running even with incumbent GOP Rep. Heather Wilson. In Arizona, former state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, is neck and neck with GOP former state Rep. Randy Graf for the House seat being vacated by Republican Jim Kolbe. In Wyoming, Democrat Gary Trauner is in a surprisingly competitive race with six-term Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin. No Democrat has held that seat since 1979.
In Colorado, former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter is far ahead of Republican Bob Beauprez-the current Seventh District representative-in the race for the governorship. Even in the conservative Fifth District centered on Colorado Springs, the Republican congressional candidate is in trouble. Doug Lamborn is under attack-from fellow Republicans-for being too negative as he tries to hold off Democrat Jay Fawcett, a small-business man and Air Force veteran.
Nowhere are the trends more clear than in Colorado's Seventh District, which includes the big Denver suburbs of Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Aurora. In 2002, Republican Beauprez won with a razor-thin margin of 121 votes. In 2004, Beauprez won narrowly again, but the district-almost evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans, and the unaffiliated-backed John Kerry for president.
Standing clear. Republican congressional candidate Rick O'Donnell, former state higher-education commissioner, has been trying to distance himself from the national GOP and establish an image of independence. On October 6, he told a forum in Wheat Ridge that if elected he would model himself on two liberal Democrats-former Rep. Pat Schroeder of Denver and former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. O'Donnell said he disagreed with them on issues but admired their work ethic, accessibility, and willingness to fight for their constituents.
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