© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KUNC's guide to Election 2012 in Colorado and the Colorado vote. Additional guides include a detailed look at Amendment 64, Amendment 65, and a look at Amendment S. You can find our archive of national election coverage here.

The Last Undecided Voter in Colorado?

Kirk Siegler
/
KUNC

Romney stopped at Red Rocks and Obama campaigned at Denver’s City Park. Between both campaign events? One, out of a few possible undecided voters.

Leading up to Election Day, President Barack Obama made one of his final stops in Colorado Wednesday. The rally at City Park comes just one day after Mitt Romney held his campaign rally.

Both events are a sign that candidates are working hard to try and sway undecided voters in swing states such as Colorado. Andy Salvadas of Boulder is one of those coveted voters. He’s a registered unaffiliated and attended both campaign rallies.

To him, the President’s rally had a different feel. “I have to say the most striking difference was the demographics of the crowd. I would be surprised if you showed me these two groups and said they’re from the same country. It’s much more diverse.”

The race for the White House is being fought over in less than ten swing states. In Colorado, early voting is underway and the Secretary of State’s office says nearly 10 percent of eligible voters have already cast a ballot. The Democratic Party even had vans on hand to shuttle people to and from polling sites after the rally.

As close as this race is nationally, Governor John Hickenlooper told the crowd that Colorado is going to play a pivotal role in the race. “This is the chance of a lifetime for you to make history, and really make sure we’re moving the country forward. If you know someone who hasn’t voted, tell them they can’t sit on the sidelines, they need to get in the game.”

Obama is on a swing through battleground states and pledged to the crowd that he would create jobs and provide middle class security. He asked Coloradans to continue believing in him, “I mean what I say. I do what I say I’m going to do. Every day I set foot in the Oval Office, I’m fighting for your families.”

Credit Kirk Siegler / KUNC
/
KUNC
A posted campaign sign at the rally that refers to the infamous 47% comment

Was that good enough for Denver resident Sharon Johnson? In a word, yes. She says she’ll do whatever it takes to re-elect the president including recruiting family and friends who don’t usually vote. The mother of two daughters says she especially likes Obama’s views on women’s issues.

“Romney I believe, I think he views women in the back seat, and I’m not a woman who’s going to sit in the back seat. I’m going to sit in front and I’m gonna steer,” says Johnson.

Sharon wasn’t alone in her belief in the President. Several thousand people stood outside in the increasingly chilly weather to see Obama, including Greg Fox. He’s a longtime supporter who came with his father.

Fox says he likes Obama’s views on everything, “On equality, on justice, on fairness, fair pay for women. And nobody can touch what he’s done on foreign policy.”

While it’s important to energize the base, don’t forget, this race will come down to convincing the few remaining undecided voters. An undecided just like Andy Salvadas...

“Whether I feel like I can trust either one more I can’t say…”

After attending the back to back campaign rallies, Salvadas says he’s now leaning toward voting for President Obama based on the diversity of the crowd. “This served as proof that more of the country’s interests are better represented by this party. It’s not 100 percent but I think it’s a much better representation of the country as a whole,” says Salvadas.

That’s a case the Obama campaign will be trying to make in the waning days of the election. They have their work cut out for them; polls have shown Governor Romney cutting into the president’s lead in certain swing states.

Beyond the now Obama leaning Salvadas, the race is still a toss-up in Colorado.

Bente Birkeland has been reporting on state legislative issues for KUNC and Rocky Mountain Community Radio since 2006. Originally, from Minnesota, Bente likes to hike and ski in her spare time. She keeps track of state politics throughout the year but is especially busy during the annual legislative session from January through early May.
Related Content