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Why Democrats are winning in the West
By Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
"The people have spoken - the bastards." So said legendary Democratic political operative and Nixon antagonist Dick Tuck after losing his bid for a California state Senate seat in 1964.
Democrats may have been mouthing the same words the morning after Election Day as it became clear that Americans reelected President Bush and increased the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
Pundits have wasted no time insisting that our nation is divided between so-called "red" and "blue" states - as if another civil war were in the works. But Democrats should look beyond red and blue and toward the so-called purple states, particularly in the Rocky Mountain West.
For two elections, Western and Southwest voters have turned their states into shades of purple, and if you consider voter attitudes and the changing demographics of the region, it is likely that these states will be permanent battleground states in presidential elections.
Any future Democratic electoral strategy must include the West. In 2002, voters elected Democratic governors in Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. In 2004, Colorado voters elected a new Democratic U.S. senator and a new Democratic House member from a rural, Republican district and put Democrats in control of both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly for the first time in 44 years.
In addition, Coloradoans showed their green side by approving ballot measures to build a multibillion-dollar mass-transit project and to require utility companies to derive more of their energy from renewable sources like the wind and the sun.
Voters in Utah reelected Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson with 56 percent of the vote, and Montana Democrats swept the governor's office for the first time since 1988 and regained control of both houses of the Legislature for the first time since 1960. In the presidential race, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was competitive in Arizona and did better than expected in Colorado and Nevada while barely losing New Mexico.
Why are Democrats winning in this part of the country? With more people moving West and an increasing Latino population, the Four Corners region has added 1 million new registered voters, and many of these voters do not align themselves with a political party. In Colorado, unaffiliated voters make up the second largest group of voters in the state. This surge in unaffiliated voters has created more competitive elections and more ticket-splitting, which dispels the popular belief that the West and Southwest are red states. They're not - they are independent states.
Along with demographics, Western Democrats have succeeded on the message front by offering common-sense solutions to challenges Americans face in their daily lives. We understand that environmental protection and economic development go hand in hand. Our economy depends on healthy public lands and clean water and air in which to hunt, fish, mountain bike and ski.
We support vibrant rural communities - which often are ignored by policymakers - responsible oil and gas development and reliable transportation systems that move people and goods. Corporations of the New West economy - high-tech, biotech and telecommunications - relocate to our states and create jobs because we offer these amenities and this quality of life.
We also support strong families, and that's why we seek ways to create first-rate schools and colleges and universities, to make healthcare more accessible and affordable and to make our communities safer. And, like any responsible parent, we don't want to pass on huge debts to our children, so we believe in fiscal responsibility, sensible tax relief and balanced budgets.
Finally, the Republican Party does not have a monopoly on moral values. Western Democrats respect and celebrate people of faith, but when it comes to civil liberties, Westerners want their privacy to be respected and value the right to be left alone.
My Mormon ancestors came west to pursue religious freedom and in the process discovered how inspirational our landscapes could be.
Our Western culture is rich because of our diversity, not in spite of it. Faith plays an important role in people's lives, and we should embrace that fact and not condescend to it or dismiss it.
I'm not suggesting that Western Democrats have all the answers, but for two consecutive elections we have run winning campaigns with independent politicians who understand average Americans, who bridge the New West with the Old West, and who have common-sense solutions to the challenges we face in our nation. By looking west, Democrats can find answers on how to engage voters and win. The future of our party depends on it.
Udall represents the 2nd Congressional District in Colorado and was just elected to a fourth term.
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