About CO-03, John Salazar's District (4.00 / 1)

Thanks Katherine; much better than what I could do. Let me add some facts and opinions about CO-03.

Salazar's CO-03 district covers most of the mountainous West half of Colorado plus the old steel town of Pueblo, (which is on the plains just East of the moutains). The only major population centers are Pueblo, Grand Junction and a bunch of resort and second home development in areas like Aspen and Steamboat. The rural population consists Ranchers, Farmers, hispanics descended from Spanish Land Grants of the 16th Century (Spanish, not Mexican). The biggest blue population area is the old steel mill town of Pueblo which has been through a long-term economic decline. Grand Junction, the primary red population center, has grown to be as large as Pueblo, with a good number of Mormons, and oil-field workers. A lot of Mexican immigrants are moving in to handle service jobs in the resort areas. The old, land-grant hispanics tend mildly toward the Democrats.

Voter Registration data shows that the district is only a point or so more Republican than Colorado as a whole: 36.0/31.8/31.7 (R/D/I), and those ratios haven't changed very much in the past three years.

When Colorado was redistricted, Pueblo was the big blue donkey that would have to go to CO-03 or CO-04 (Marilyn Musgrave). Basically, whichever district lost Pueblo would be fairly safe Republican, while the other district would be possibly viable for the Dems.

Salazar probably fits his district

John Salazar won his freshman seat in 2004 based on name association with his brother, Ken Salazar (who strikes me as smarter and more purposeful), declining Bush approval and the steady growth of Democrats in resort areas. Perhaps somewhat conservative in a "Western Rancher" sort of way, Salazar in Colorado of the new millenium, Salazar doesn't have anything in common with the reactionary, religious-right which controls the Colorado Republican Party.

Both Salazar's grew up relatively poor as Western ranchers/farmers in the San Luis valley. So, it is probably fair to say that John Salazar is is seen by a lot of his constituents as "one of them". This makes Salazar reasonably appropriate for his district, and difficult for a right-wing Republican to dislodge. But the same problem would face any strongly Liberal or Progressive challenger. 

Persuade Salazar rather than Primary him?

John Salazar's virtue and flaw are sort of the same thing.  Following brother Ken's lead, he is working diligently to hold up the center. Both the Salazars seem strongly attached to the ideas of compromise and bi-partisanship, despite long experience with viscious, hard-ball Republican tactics in the Colorado legislature. From the progressive standpoint, this ends up being pretty conservative ideologically, if not stupid given all the Republican back-stabbing. (I mean, How many Bush lies does it take to wake up a centrist?)

This centrism may be ideological, but it in the practical sense, it probably corresponds to a lot of Salazar's constituents. We aren't talking mega-church, religious right, rather small-town, traditional Westerners who believe in Guns and the American Way mythology. I wouldn't call them Fox-news reactionaries, rather they just don't question institutions like The Presidency.

With respect to the major progressive issues: Iraq, Universal Health Care, Energy Policy, and Labor, my feeling is that Salazar is best targetted for persuasion rather than removal. But that is really a story about persuading small-town America.

Salazar is more likely to follow his constituents rather than lead them.

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by: MetaData @ Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 20:18:18 PM UTC