There have been ups and downs with buying my current home, especially doing it close to the max inflation of the housing bubble. But the greatest frustration was moving into US House District 6 for the state of Colorado. The seat was then occupied by Tom "We took this land from the Red people and we'll be damned if we let you Brown people take over, even if the Spanish were here before us" Tancredo.
This seat is considered a safe Republican one, so the Democratic party pretty much ignores this race. I hope we can change that attitude for 2010
CO-6 is considered safely red. It includes the counties of Douglas and Elbert. They are to Denver what Orange County, CA (Nixon/Reagan Land) is to Los Angeles.
Elbert went 69% for McCain. But Elbert County is very rural and sparsely populated (about 14,000 votes cast in the 2008 election). Park County is another Red but tiny component of CO-6. (Denver Post - 2008 Election results)
Douglas County is much larger and a good comparison to Orange. The Highlands Ranch development reminds me of Irvine Ranch in CA. In fact, Douglas County was one of the fastest growing counties in the US for some time, and a lot of that was transplants from SoCal. Some areas are also about as close to Colorado Springs (home of the Focus on the Family types) as to Denver. Douglas County went 58% for McCain.
Warning: generalization and stereotyping crossing ahead. Think suburban tract homes and soccer moms in SUVs. (Actually a giveaway of a newbie. Longtime residents go for pickups or Subarus.) It has been ranked as the wealthiest county in the state, and has even made the national top ten. If Colorado got one of the Real Housewives of . . . "Reality" franchises, Douglas county would be a top candidate. That is the view of Douglas County that discourages serious attempts at an assault on CO-6. But I have met several residents who would love to turn Douglas purple if not outright blue.
And CO-6 also includes two other very populous counties: Arapahoe and Jefferson. I live in Arapahoe and worked on the Obama campaign here. Arapahoe went 55% for Obama, which was our goal. Turning Arapahoe was considered key to turning Colorado blue, and there was a tremendous effort that paid off. Jefferson county also went 54% for Obama.
What is this preamble all about? Basically, a number of us in the area do NOT think CO-6 is deep blood red. The district is relatively new. Coffman is only the third person to hold the seat. Tancredo, with solid Reagan and Bush I credentials, first won in 1998, during the Clinton mess. Coffman was the Sitting Secretary of State for Colorado when he ran for CO-6. He had statewide recognition. He ran against a total unknown, Hank Eng, who got squat all support from the Democratic Party. We did not even have material to distribute for him until a few days before the election
Yes, Coffman won by 60%, but considering who he was and who he ran against, I do not consider that a blow out. I think it would be fair to say that Eng got most of his votes simply by having a D next to his name. If we had had a candidate that people actually knew something about, I believe the results would have been closer, and the right candidate might actually have won!
The Republican Party in Colorado is in disarray. Their list of candidates for various statewide or Federal offices have assorted problems. At this early date, there is potential for some interesting GOP primary battles. It is basically up to the incumbent Democrat in office to screw up enough to give the GOP an opening. To me, Coffman comes across as a Party Loyalist whose nose is cleaner than most (there are allegations about some of his actions as SoS so that's not saying much). He is also not so birther-deather-fundie nutso as to scare off the many independents in this district. But I don't think he is smart or personable enough to run for Governor or Senator. So I think he was considered a good choice to hold on to CO-6. But I don't think he is invincible.
And though the Mountain West tends to vote Republican, it is not for the same reason as the Bible Belt South. People here are more of the "keep government out of my life" and "pay minimal taxes" variety than the "this is a Christian nation that needs to follow God's law" variety. The GOP has been losing support because they have been so reckless in their spending and expanding government in ways that are still unacceptable.
Others must have felt the same way I do because two strong Democrats have already stepped up to the plate for the 2010 election. One, David Canter, recently decided to suspend his campaign to avoid dividing attention and resources between two viable candidates. (If so inclined, give Mr. Canter a donation to help cover his expenses.) So now, John Flerlage is running as the Democratic challenger to the incumbent Republican Coffman.
I have met Mr. Flerlage on one occasion. And Monday morning I heard him on the Jay Marvin Show with David Sirota. (David has been the main fill-in host for Jay Marvin while he recovers from a major illness.) You can listen to the podcast here (8-24-09 Hour 3). I have been disappointed by several Colorado Democrats who develop an aqua tinged bark once in office (or turn traitor entirely - I will never forgive you, Ben Nighthorse Campbell!) But I don't think a man running for this district would talk the progressive talk he talks unless he really believed it. And he has the kind of personal biography that appeals to our independents, e.g. retired Marine Corps officer. But I do not know if the Party Powers That Be are fully behind mounting a serious effort to fight for this seat.
So for you in and around CO-6, please keep an eye on this race and encourage any Democrats you know to take this challenge seriously.
Additional Developments
Since I started this yesterday:
* Former GOP congressman and gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez has dropped out of the race against Senator Michael Bennet.
* There are initial reports that the CO Democratic Party Headquarters in Denver has been vandalized (UPDATE: acsguitar has a diary on this).