President Barack Obama’s job approval numbers have risen in Colorado this year, and now he’s lending his voice to help boost three Democrats locked in tight state House races.
Democrats are fighting to keep majority control of the House against attempts by Republicans to narrow or reverse their three-vote advantage in the Nov. 8 election. Obama’s contribution — which already includes social media ads and likely will include recorded messages for robo-calls — could help on the margins. (Colorado Republicans have conceded that they are more likely to be successful at keeping their majority in the Senate than at retaking the House majority.)
Obama’s endorsements are expected to reach about 150 state legislative candidates in 20 states, according to Politico, and six so far are candidates for the Colorado House. Three of them are running in races that are considered by political observers to be likely tossups: Jeff Bridges, who is running against Republican Katy Brown for an open seat in District 3 in Denver’s south suburbs; Tony Exum Sr., who is running in a rematch against Republican Rep. Catherine “Kit” Roupe in District 17 in Colorado Springs; and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who is trying to unseat Republican Rep. JoAnn Windholz in District 30 in Adams County.
Three more are running for seats that are considered safe for Democrats: Majority Leader Crisanta Duran in District 5 (against Republican Ronnie Nelson), newcomer Mike Weissman in the open seat for District 36 (against Richard Bowman) and Rep. Janet Buckner in District 40 (against Todd Brophy).
In an election year in which public attention has been dominated by the presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, getting Democratic-leaning voters to focus on legislative races — with mail voting already underway — may be among the greatest challenges facing the party in Colorado.
“That’s probably the most important thing — making sure that people don’t just ignore races down-ballot and making sure they know that state legislative races matter a lot,” said Matthew McGovern, who directs the Democrats’ House Majority Project campaign committee.
But recent headlines could blunt any positive effect from Obama’s backing, suggested Colorado GOP chairman Steve House.
“President Obama’s newfound connection to Clinton’s e-mail scandal and soaring Obamacare rates have severely hurt his credibility with Coloradans,” House said in a comment provided by a spokesman. “State House Democrats hoping he will save their campaigns are sorely mistaken.”
Notwithstanding the potential impact of recent news, polls taken of Colorado voters show an improving regard for Obama in the state in the last year. While his job approval rating hovered in the low-40 percent range as recently as March, polling aggregator Real Clear Politics says his rating in recent months has averaged 50.8 percent, reflecting a similar warming of opinions toward the outgoing president nationally.
Politico reported that Obama’s motivation in getting involved in state legislative races was to help reverse years of gains made by Republicans during his presidency.
“Six years ago, Democrats felt they couldn’t even get Obama interested in House races,” the story says. “But now, after years of the Democratic bench being depleted on his watch, Obama’s looking to build it back. On top of all that: a concern within the Oval Office and through the West Wing with how much policy is being crafted in state capitals, from laws on reproductive health to climate change to voting rights.”
