Colorado Republicans Can Start to Panic Now

15 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Longtime Colorado political journalist Ernest Luning has been keeping track of ballot return figures via his Twitter account. This is not good for Republicans:

Dems keep lead in CO statewide ballot returns thru 10/20: D-18,867; R-12,570; U-10,203 #copolitics 1/5 https://t.co/PmONrsT29Q

— Ernest Lee Luning (@eluning) October 21, 2016

The last time that Democrats were this far ahead of Republicans in Colorado in early voting returns was…well, maybe never.

The biggest fear for the GOP in 2016 has always been that a terrible top of the ticket — headlined by Donald Trump and Darryl Glenn — would be so disinteresting/disgusting that otherwise reliable Republican voters just wouldn’t bother to vote at all. Right-leaning political pundits have been saying for months that Republican voters could save down-ballot candidates by splitting their ticket at the polls, but that was assuming Republican voters would actually, you know, fill in the bubbles on their ballot.

If this trend continues in Colorado through Election Day, Republican candidates are going to be wiped out across the board. Perhaps the Trump campaign would have been better off staffing their field offices with people who are old enough to drive a car.

15 thoughts on “Colorado Republicans Can Start to Panic Now”

davebarnes says:

October 21, 2016 at 11:44 am

Premature gloating.
Sample size is too small.

Log in to Reply
1. Colorado Pols says:
  
  October 21, 2016 at 11:46 am
  
  Yeah, obviously it's a small sample. That doesn't change the fact that it is virtually unprecedented for Democrats to outpace Republicans in Colorado in early voting returns.
  
  Log in to Reply
2. davebarnes says:
  
  October 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm
  
  3 days later — Maybe was not premature.
  
  http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/24/colorado-2016-ballot-tracker-a-look-at-mail-ballot-return-data/
  
  Log in to Reply
GeorgeSeaton says:

October 21, 2016 at 11:56 am

Well, there you go again with facts. Very dangerous to gloat about facts!!!

Log in to Reply
davebarnes says:

October 21, 2016 at 12:27 pm

But, does it matter?

"Trump Holds Strategy Meeting With Campaign’s Top Militia Leaders Ahead Of Election Day…We really need to start ramping up operations in every state during these final weeks before people head to the polls."

http://bit.ly/2du21nz

Log in to Reply
itlduso says:

October 21, 2016 at 12:32 pm

GOP mantra: "Don't blame me – I didn't vote."

Log in to Reply
1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
  
  October 21, 2016 at 1:55 pm
  
  Reminds me of my mantra after the 2000 election: "Don't blame me. I voted for McCain (in the primary)."
  
  Log in to Reply
FrankUnderwood says:

October 21, 2016 at 12:49 pm

I could hear Moderatus' response now:

Nothing to see here. All is well. A big fat nothing-burger. Repeal and replace. Lock her up! Benghazi.

I also remember A.C.'s daily reports two years ago about the gap in returned ballots between Dems and Repubs. As election day approach, there was an uptick in ballots being returned by Dems. Perhaps we will see that again this year.

Log in to Reply
1. BlueCat says:
  
  October 21, 2016 at 4:42 pm
  
  Haven't heard a thing from AC lately.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. FrankUnderwood says:
    
    October 22, 2016 at 9:00 am
    
    You spoke too soon. A.C. reared his head on the Weekend Open Thread with a cut and pasted cartoon about Dems and others who are backing the nasty woman sending bad hombres to incite violence at those rallies of tolerant and peace-loving supporters of Donald Trump.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. BlueCat says:
      
      October 22, 2016 at 10:06 am
      
      Cartoons are all his kind has left.
      
      Log in to Reply
Davie says:

October 21, 2016 at 2:03 pm

My wife, an ex-Republican, and I just turned in our ballots. She was so disgusted with Trump that she took my advice (for once) and voted for all Democrats. Coffman and Windholz are going down!

Log in to Reply
Conserv. Head Banger says:

October 21, 2016 at 2:13 pm

I mailed my ballot today. Even though it's a Republican ballot, it does have votes for Hillary and Bennet at the top of the ticket. No Trump because he's a disgusting flim-flam man. No Glenn because….well, I don't like his platform and anybody who starts off an introduction by saying first he's a Christian doesn't understand the US Constitution (Article VI). Did find a couple Republicans to vote for, especially locally.

I more or less followed my past precedent with ballot initiatives of voting against all of them, with a few exceptions. Voted for 71 (Raise the Bar…..); voted for 106 (personal control in dying); and locally for 4B, to renew the SCFD culture sales tax. Voted against Jeffco 3A and 3B as they are highly unreasonable. Between the bonds and increased mill levy, provides over 1/2 billion dollars for a school district with flat enrollment levels. I probably would have voted for a more reasonable set of proposals; like maybe for half the cash.

Amendment T is a strange one. The banning of all "involuntary servitude" seems to eliminate prison work release programs. So, a ‘No’ vote.

Log in to Reply
ajb says:

October 21, 2016 at 2:19 pm

I always split my ticket: D's from the top down until I reach local City and County of Boulder, then I switch to R. It doesn't help: this is a one-party town.

Log in to Reply
1. Voyageur says:
  
  October 21, 2016 at 2:49 pm
  
  Some of the very best public officials I have known were boulder republicans. But it is harder and harder for them to swim upstream.
  
  Log in to Reply