Colorado has nine Electoral College votes and a total population of over five million. Between 2000 and 2010, Colorado’s population grew from 4.3 million to 5,029,196 million, an increase of 17percent.
In the three Presidential elections before 2008, Colorado leaned Republican, but political observers believed the independence of many of its voters could bring about victories for Democratic candidates. The Democratic Party selected Denver as the site of its 2008 National Convention, and both political parties viewed the state as a key battleground in the Presidential election. Ultimately, President Barack Obama (D) won the contest in Colorado, and an analysis of CNN exit poll data suggests that Latino voters contributed to this victory. The CNN exit poll data reveal that White voters supported Obama over Senator John McCain (R-AZ) by a very narrow margin: 50 percent to 48 percent. In contrast, Latino voters strongly supported Obama over McCain by 61 percent to 38 percent.
Exit polling by Latino Decisions also suggests that Latinos were also key to the 2010 general election victory of Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D). Senator Bennet won his race with a narrow 1% margin of victory over his opponent. According to the Latino Decisions exit polls, Latinos strongly favored Senator Bennet over Ken Buck (R), by 81 percent to 19 percent. Latinos account for one of every ten Colorado registred voters, and they are poised to shape the outcome of the state’s 2012 election contests.
Because the Colorado state legislature was unable to complete its Congressional redistricting process during its legislative session, the state’s redistricting was conducted through litigation before the Colorado Supreme Court. Latino groups intervened in the case and requested that the court respect Latino communities of interest in three Congressional districts.
While the court did not fully agree with the approach proposed by the Latino groups, it adopted maps that it considered to be more competitive on a partisan basis and acknowledged the importance of ensuring that Latinos would have a voice in helping to determine the outcome of those competitive contests.
Today 21 percent of the population in the state is Latino, the 2010 Census shows there are 1,038,687 Latinos in Colorado. One out of every 10 Colorado registered voters is Latino. Over half (51 percent) of Colorado’s Latino registered voters are Democrats. One-third (33 percent) are not affiliated with either of the two major political parties, and 16 percent are Republicans. Colorado Latinos are more likely to be affiliated with the Democratic Party than non-Latinos., and are less likely to be registered as Republicans.
Latino voter turnout in Colorado’s Presidential elections grew from 158,000 in 2000 to 195,000 in 2008, an increase of 23 percent.
The latest presidential poll in Colorado shows President Obama and Mitt Romney virtually tied. The presidential election may very well be decided by the state of Colorado.
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