John Kerry, native son
Denver Post Editorial
denverpost.com
In John Kerry's dreams, Colorado would be in play - and now he is ponying up to pave the way. Today, Kerry is launching a $25 million TV ad campaign in 19 states, and among the surprises is that he sees reason to invest in Colorado.
Colorado Republicans have an advantage over Democrats of about 150,000 registered voters. But Colorado also has more independent voters than registered Democrats. To win here, Kerry needs to convince independents he's the best candidate.
One of Kerry's Colorado ads notes that he was born here (at Fitzsimons hospital in Aurora, when his dad was serving as an Army pilot). That may earn him the technical right to slap a "native" bumper sticker on his car. But tailoring the ad shows how hard he's pushing for votes.
Kerry is airing ads in both Colorado and Louisiana, two Bush states from 2000. At the very least, Kerry would like to force the president to spend money to protect his base.
The campaigns are getting more intense this week. Usually, presidential contenders tour swing states by bus late in the game. Yet on Monday, Bush rode a bus through Michigan and Ohio.
Almost every issue, from the war to the economy, has split the U.S. public down the middle. Republican pollster Ed Goeas says the '04 election is starting where the 2000 election left off.
Polls show a statistical dead heat between Bush and Kerry. In Michigan, for example, only 8 percent of voters haven't already made up their minds. So, an awful lot of everything Bush and Kerry do on the campaign trail is aimed at increasing their turnout, and wooing that final slice of undecided voters.
Both candidates launched TV ads in select markets two months ago. Since the end of the primaries, Kerry has spent more than $20 million while Bush has spent $40 million. Those are big bucks for so soon in the election cycle.
Yet neither gained appreciably in the opinion polls as a result, said the National Annenberg Election Survey. At the beginning of March, Kerry's favorable rating was 41 percent, compared to 39 percent at the end of March. Bush's favorable rating was 49 percent early in March and 48 percent at the month's end. Statistically, there's no movement in public opinion, despite volumes of campaign spending.
Given the tiny margins that could decide the election, both candidates may believe that Colorado's nine electoral votes could be important come November. After being ignored during the primary season, it's nice that Colorado at least is getting some attention. Now we will pray for rain. |
