Dems Ponder How the West Might Be Won

The political director for the Democratic National Committee showed up in Colorado in December. He came, said Colorado Democratic chairwoman Pat Waak, to measure progress in his party's so-called "Western strategy."

By Jim Spencer

That's the notion that for the first time in decades, the Democratic presidential nominee has a chance to win electoral votes in four critical Western states -- Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.

Doing so would allow the Democrats more wiggle room to still win the White House even if they lose a large Midwestern state like Ohio, which cost Democratic candidate John Kerry the presidency in 2004.

No party officials want to talk publicly about the prospect of losing Ohio again. But everyone speaks enthusiastically of chances for Democratic success in the West.

DNC political director Dave Boundy came to Colorado "to talk with the governor's office and the [U.S.] senate campaign [of Democratic Rep. Mark Udall]," Waak said. Boundy "even met with independent funders," meaning he talked to Al Yates, the contact person for Democratic billionaire Pat Stryker, who has puts millions into state and congressional races in recent years as Democrats took control of the Colorado legislature, the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and the majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Waak said what Boundy heard validated what she has been telling national party officials for months: Colorado is truly in play in the 2008 presidential election and deserves increased financial support from the DNC in the coming months.

A DNC spokesman wouldn't talk about a "Western strategy."

"We have a 50-state strategy," Luis Miranda said, echoing the mantra of Howard Dean. Still, Miranda acknowledged that the "West has tremendous growth potential." He pointed to a voter registration edge in Nevada, which now has 5,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.

In New Mexico, there were 178,089 more registered Democrats than Republicans as of September 2007. Registered Republicans still outnumber registered Democrats by six-figure margins in Colorado and Arizona, but Democrats are registering new members faster than Republicans in Colorado, according to a study by Colorado Public Radio, and the percentage of independents in both Colorado and Arizona is growing.

Democrats also "increased diversity in the early nominating process" by scheduling the Nevada caucus in January, Miranda explained. "We placed the caucus that early to show that we want the nominee to address issues of the West."

Hillary Clinton, a New York senator, won the Nevada caucuses doing just that, said former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.

Keep reading.

Comments

[banjomike]

For over 20 years, the Democratic strategy in the West has been to ignore it completely. The Intermountain West is the fastest growing area in the US, and it's the young voters who are creating the growth, but the DNC has been content to let it go to the Repubs by default.

Obama was the first Democrat in my memory who has sent professional staffers to Idaho and set up campaign headquarters here. And there are 6, not 1 offices throughout the state.

Meanwhile, the Republicans ignore Idaho as well. They presumed long ago that this state would be Republican forever, come hell or high water, so why invest a nickel into campaiging here? They don't realize it, but there are a lot of good Idaho Republicans who are very fed up with the party, and are looking for some change and some attention.

The mere fact that Obama didn't confuse Idaho with Iowa, and was committed enough to send in his people, was enough to sway me over to his side. Hillary has popped in and out of airplanes a lot here, back when Bill was President, but she doesn't care enough to send one staffer to the state. And I doubt very much if she can even recall all the Idaho towns she flew over, either.

Next Tuesday, I'm going to my first caucus. And I'm voting for Obama. The folks in both parties are looking for change, not indifference. And not any more business as usual.

I don't expect a Democrat to win the general election, but Idaho has voted Democratic often in it's history. If there is enough Democratic support to scare hell out of the Repub majority here, the first steps to better party balance will begin.

[rssrai]

I think that Obama has a chance in Colorado, and New Mexico but not in Arizona, or Nevada.

[Countess]

Despite the democratic national committee's happy talk they will never win the west with a narrow partisan base. The west is much less partisan oriented in their politics and they prefer someone who will reach across party lines like Barack Obama. McCain will beat Clinton in the west.