Election 2014

My election analysis in the Denver Post Perspective section, October 26, 2014:

Colorado is still a political battleground

After 2012, Washington pundits characterized Colorado as “leaning blue” following two convincing wins by Barack Obama and Democratic control of its U.S. Senate seats, the governorship and the state legislature. Indeed, as 2014 began, both incumbents — Sen. Mark Udall and Gov. John Hickenlooper — were expected to win re-election, possibly not by large margins given the challenges of a midterm election with an unpopular president, but win nonetheless.

First, no incumbent Colorado governor or senator had been defeated since the 1970s. But also, during the last 10 years, the Democratic Party built one of the best state-level political machines in the country with interlocking funding, candidate recruitment and support, and an advanced get-out-the-vote operation.

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Despite these advantages, Colorado’s 2014 Senate and gubernatorial races are among the most competitive in the country. In fact, now Washington analysts believe control of the U.S. Senate may be decided with the fate of Mark Udall.