Thursday, February 28, 2013

Hickenlooper, Maverick Democrat, Still on a Path to Re-election

One of the most prominent reasons Democrats dominate Colorado politics and appear undisturbed in their position as they enter the 2014 election cycle is the lack of serious primaries.
John Hickenlooper is popular with the public at large, but highly irritating to the Democratic Party’s ideological left.  Hardcore anti-growth environmentalists, who felt Gov. Bill Ritter was theirs, and more recently emboldened anti-gun factions, are critical of Hickenlooper in their legislative offices and meetings and their blogs, but there is no hint (as yet) of a primary as Hickenlooper begins his re-election lap.
Frankly, there is no hint the Republicans can find a credible candidate either and they’re working at it.
It is the Republican Party since the 2004 Senate race that has been plagued by deeply divisive primaries. Even the Democrats’ most bitter recent primary in 2010 between Andrew Romanoff and Michael Bennet was mostly about personal ambition and not serious ideological, demographic or geographic divisions.
A considerable amount of good fortune, combined with political pragmatism, has contributed to the Democratic Party’s ability to nominate reasonably moderate candidates without primaries.

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