Is Colorado winnable for the GOP candidate in a close race?

[Old Man Willow]

After Ken Buck's defeat in a hugely conservative year, I don't know. Granted he sucked as a candidate, but still.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Colorado's PVI is like D+0, right? So why not?

[King]

If Colorado isn't winnable for the GOP candidate, then it isn't a close race.

Seriously, GOP thinking these days is giving up a laughable amount of states they somehow don't need to win anymore.  Colorado, Virginia, New Mexico, Iowa.... Texas isn't growing in population that fast, guys.

[5280]

CO is winnable for the GOP, depends on whose running.

[California8429]

After Ken Buck's defeat in a hugely conservative year, I don't know. Granted he sucked as a candidate, but still.

The entire race was centered on abortion. No 100% pro-life candidate, and I mean to the extreme, is going to win outside of Alabama.

[Lief 🗽]

If Colorado isn't winnable for the GOP candidate, then it isn't a close race.

[milhouse24]

Colorado has a strong mormon influence - the South Park  creators are from Colorado.  If Romney is the nominee, Colorado will flip to the GOP

[Lief 🗽]

Colorado has a strong mormon influence - the South Park  creators are from Colorado.  If Romney is the nominee, Colorado will flip to the GOP

The South Park creators are not Mormons. 2% of Colorado's population is Mormon.

[DrScholl]

There hasn't been a poll done for Colorado in awhile, but in the last one Obama was beating everyone, including the supposedly unbeatable moderate Romney. The Mormon vote is Colorado is not enough to give him a win.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

And the Mormons are already voting heavily Republican.

[King]

And the Mormons are already voting heavily Republican.

And Mormons already turnout to vote higher than most demographics.  There is no Mormon bounce.

[California8429]

Colorado has a strong mormon influence - the South Park  creators are from Colorado.  If Romney is the nominee, Colorado will flip to the GOP

The South Park creators are not Mormons. 2% of Colorado's population is Mormon.

key word is influence. Mormons control the state GOP and provide a large amount of money for the campaigns, not to mention they're the most active conservatives, the ones who actually show up to the caucus. They may be 2% of the population, but they still are very powerful here and I can guarantee every family will be knocking on doors if Mitt is the nominee.

[The Mikado]

Trying to get more GOP votes out of the LDS is like squeezing blood from a stone.  The GOP is already maxed out on LDS, in terms of turnout, fundraising, etc.

Anyway, of course the GOP can win Colorado.  It'd be stupid of the Republicans not to go after it.

[Gustaf]

It depends a bit on the nominee and the dynamics but given how VA and NC seem to be trending it's hard not to see Colorado being part of a winning GOP electoral coalition. At least last time I checked...

[milhouse24]

Colorado has a strong mormon influence - the South Park  creators are from Colorado.  If Romney is the nominee, Colorado will flip to the GOP

The South Park creators are not Mormons. 2% of Colorado's population is Mormon.

But Trey and Matt know a lot about LDS and are obsessed with it, they seem to have a lot of Mormon friends and even wrote and Award Winning Broadway play about Mormons. 

The Mormon GOTV (Get Out the Vote) machine in the Mountain West from Utah to everywhere will be knocking on doors and calling everyone in the time zone.  Just like the grassroots Obama campaign in 2008, the Mormons will provide huge ground support.

[King]

But Trey and Matt know a lot about LDS and are obsessed with it, they seem to have a lot of Mormon friends and even wrote and Award Winning Broadway play about Mormons. 

How dare they show interest in cultures other than their own.  Bastards.

[redcommander]

If it went for Bob Dole, it's winnable for Republicans.

[Smash255]

If it went for Bob Dole, it's winnable for Republicans.

The state (suburban Denver especially) has changed quite a bit since then.

Romney and Huntsman can be competitive (more to do with them being more moderate than it has to do with the Mormon issue).  No one else would be competitive let alone make in winnable.

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

Depending on the candidate, yes.

[mondale84]

Romney and Huntsman may have a shot...anyone else would be a disaster in the state...I'm not counting other so-called 'moderates' (Guiliani, Pataki, hawn) who have no way in hell of winning the nomination, let lone start a campaign

[Heimdal]

Ken Buck was weak, and the de facto Republican gubernatorial nominee was not fit for office, so I don't think 2010 can tell us that much. But I do think the Colorado GOP can win statewide again if they take the time nominating real candidates.
I expect it to be a swing state in 2012 if we nominate Romney or Huntsman.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Lets not forget Tancredos strong performance, he very well could of been the first Constitution Party governor!

[King]

Ken Buck was weak, and the de facto Republican gubernatorial nominee was not fit for office, so I don't think 2010 can tell us that much. But I do think the Colorado GOP can win statewide again if they take the time nominating real candidates.
I expect it to be a swing state in 2012 if we nominate Romney or Huntsman.

Yes, but (a) Obama won 53% in 2010 and (b) despite the strong 3rd party candidacy by Tancredo and Maes split the vote, Hickenlooper still won a 51% majority.

The Democratic Denver and Boulder are growing too fast for the Republican parts of the state to keep up.

[Heimdal]

Ken Buck was weak, and the de facto Republican gubernatorial nominee was not fit for office, so I don't think 2010 can tell us that much. But I do think the Colorado GOP can win statewide again if they take the time nominating real candidates.
I expect it to be a swing state in 2012 if we nominate Romney or Huntsman.

Yes, but (a) Obama won 53% in 2010 and (b) despite the strong 3rd party candidacy by Tancredo and Maes split the vote, Hickenlooper still won a 51% majority.

The Democratic Denver and Boulder are growing too fast for the Republican parts of the state to keep up.

First of all, what do you mean when you say that Obama won 53% in 2010? Did you mean 2008?

And I agree with you regarding the Denver Suburbs, Boulder and all the ther problems the GOP has in the Southwest. They need to develop policies and candidates that can appeal to Hispanics (or at least a significant slice of them. I think 40%+ is the magic number) and suburbanites. If they don't, then neither Colorado or Nevada will be winnable in the near future.

That is why they must shedd people like Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter.

[King]

Ken Buck was weak, and the de facto Republican gubernatorial nominee was not fit for office, so I don't think 2010 can tell us that much. But I do think the Colorado GOP can win statewide again if they take the time nominating real candidates.
I expect it to be a swing state in 2012 if we nominate Romney or Huntsman.

Yes, but (a) Obama won 53% in 2010 and (b) despite the strong 3rd party candidacy by Tancredo and Maes split the vote, Hickenlooper still won a 51% majority.

The Democratic Denver and Boulder are growing too fast for the Republican parts of the state to keep up.

First of all, what do you mean when you say that Obama won 53% in 2010? Did you mean 2008?

And I agree with you regarding the Denver Suburbs, Boulder and all the ther problems the GOP has in the Southwest. They need to develop policies and candidates that can appeal to Hispanics (or at least a significant slice of them. I think 40%+ is the magic number) and suburbanites. If they don't, then neither Colorado or Nevada will be winnable in the near future.

That is why they must shedd people like Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter.

Yeah, I meant 2008.