Gardner Takes Colorado

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By: Daniel Martinez

This Colorado senate race has been one of the closest races in the state’s history. Incumbent Mark Udall lost on the Nov. 4 senator election to challenger Cory Gardner by 2.5 spread. Udall and his campaign did their best to rally up voters in the final home stretch.

Udall’s campaign manager, Adam Dunstone, told the Denver Post,”Supporters had knocked on more than 250,000 doors in the previous three days and planned to hit another 160,000 on Election Day alone. And these folks weren’t going into Colorado neighborhoods at random.”

The criticism that Udall took for mainly focusing on womens issues and contraception really hurt him in the polls late in the race. The attack ads that Gardner released helped influence some voters towards his side. He attracted a large majority of people who did not like the fact that Mark Udall voted and stood behind Obama’s election and the Affordable Care Act.

It’s surprising to see Mr. Gardner take the senate seat, because back in Feburary he wasn’t even in the race. Ken Buck was the republican candidate that was suppose race Udall, but Buck dropped out of the race to run for Mr. Gardner’s previous position of congressman. When previously asked about the issue, he stated,

“I stepped out of the race because I thought Cory represents the best opportunity to beat Mark Udall. I told him I would support him because it is so important that we beat Mark Udall and move this country in a different direction.”

It seems like Ken Buck knew what he was doing. Today former Congressman Gardner is now Senator Gardner, and he’s looking to take Colorado in a different direction. He was strongly supported by the people of Colorado because he has always repelled the Affordable Care Act and voted against it.

The fact the not many people are in favor of Obama in 2014, and that Udall voted for his policies really hurt his campaign. At the end of the day it was a good year for republicans, especially in a democratic state like Colorado. We will see what Senator Cory Gardner does with his term.

Colorado’s New Episode Of Lost: Featuring Hispanics

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By: Daniel Martinez

The Colorado senate race has been a nail bitter between incumbent Mark Udall and challenger Cory Gardner. Hispanics are generally not a large population in all the states except one, Colorado. This means that the hispanic voter population is a huge factor to win Colorado midterm elections.

In 2012, when Obama ran for public office, hispanics voted 75% to 23% for the Obama campaign. They were grateful of having Mark Udall as Colorado senator, but now they are starting to have second thoughts.

The main theme of Mr. Udall’s campaign has been women issues, such as abortion. In Mark Udalls rally, Hilary Clinton had a guest appearance to show him support. She also referenced Mr. Udall as a “workhorse.” A Democrat who remains to be anonymous has mentioned that people in their party have referred to Mr. Udall as “Mark Uterus“, since he’s been heavily focused on women’s issues.

Mr. Gardner told the Denver post, “Udall’s obnoxious one-issue campaign is an insult to those he seeks to convince.”

Udall seems to not be fully aware that there are many more issues to deal with other than women’s issues. Although the issue is very important, we can’t forget about other demographics and their needs. It has been said that Republicans most likely do not need hispanic voters to win the midterm elections, but in order to win the white house in 2016 they will need their support.

David King, a public policy professor at Harvard University in Massachusetts stated, “Money is spent in ways that increase the likely odds of landing a vote, so the ‘cheapest’ voters are the ones that campaigns target. Frankly, Hispanic votes are not ‘cheap’ votes for House campaigns, and so you have a situation in which lots of campaigns are choosing not to try to mobilize the Hispanic vote.”

Democrats, such as Mark Udall, have choosen to ignore hard to reach hispanic voters, because their vote isn’t cost effective to the party. The problem with not cooperating with meeting hispanic needs is not only that the candidates won’t have strong hispanic support, but they could create more frustration with other voters who are in favored of new immigration reform.

We must not forget that history does indeed repeat itself. A factor of why Mitt Romney lost the White House in 2012 in part because he received the lowest portion of the Hispanic vote for a Republican in 16 years. Challenger Cory Gardner currently leads the polls by 3.8%.

Broken Promises

By: Daniel Martinez

Humana canceled policies that covered nearly 18,000. The company offered plans to people who lived in Colorado Springs and Denver areas. It is still unknown the exact reason why Humana canceled their policies, because Colorado insurance officials noted that they had the option to continue its offerings until 2015.

This could be the worst possible news for incumbent Mark Udall with the election being less than three weeks ahead. Challenger Cory Gardner, who is already up in the polls could not have asked for a better situation. Gardner has been hammering Udall throughout the whole campaign on the incumbent being a strong supporter for Obamacare, which has not lived up to its high expectations.

State rules require insurers to inform the consumers with canceled plans that they have the right to buy other available offerings from their insurer. They also have the opportunity to buy plans on the state’s Obamacare exchange, Connect for Health Colorado.

In 2013, Obama rewrote his healthcare rules to let states and insurers revive canceled health plans and continue them for up towards three years. Around 200,000 people that are covered by those insurances face cancellation next year if they don’t meet Obamacare standards by 2015.

Since Obamacare has been circulating our economy, it has been rewritten numerous times. The idea seems to have sounded better than the reality. This could not have been a more inconvenient time for the incumbent.

James Owen, a spokesman for Udall campaign released a statement saying,“There’s nobody more upset about the bungled roll out of the health care law than Mark.” I’m sure Colorado has around 200,000 people who are way more upset about the healthcare law than Udall.

The Democrats are going to lose this Colorado race unless Udall provides a better alternative than his Challenger Cory Gardner. The people of Colorado already gave Udall a shot, maybe it’s Gardners turn now?

How Much Money Do You Got?

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By Daniel Martinez

The Colorado Senate race is a nail biter so far. Incumbent Mark Udall faces a tough battle against challenger Congressman, Cory Gardner. In a recent debate Gardner blamed the Incumbent on the association of Obamacare and the healthcare laws we have today. He mentioned that Udall supported Obama for the beginning, and accuses him for supporting the stimulus plan in 2008.

“Barack Obama and Mark Udall have put tremendous pressure on this country,” Gardner said.

Udall based his argument on Gardner’s support of over the counter birth control. “How can women and families trust you? Why are you getting between women and their doctors?” Udall asked Gardner. Both parties have spent millions on the race, and according to The Huffington Post, when the contest is decided it could be the most expensive Senate race in Colorado history.

The polls have Udall up by about half a point. When November come both parties shall be exhausted from this brutal fight. This race is comparable to gladiators fighting for their life and doing anything they can to get the victory. Gardner places heavy emphasis on Udall’s affiliation with President Obama, and his support throughout his term. He mentions that Udall has made a lot of promises and has yet to keep them. Incumbent Mark Udall striked back by accusing Gardner of hurting the people of Colorado during the partial government shut down in the aftermath of the devastating floods a year ago. As of now, this race is a coin flip.

Colorado Incumbent On Track To Prevail

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By: Daniel Martinez

Colorado has got an interestingly close race this upcoming November 4th. While the gubernatorial election is only 48 days away,  Mark Udall and Cory Gardner are standing tall and confident behind their campaigns like heavy weight fighter going blow for blow. Udall, the incumbent, was suppose to face challenger Ken Buck before he dropped out of the race and Cory Gardner took his spot.

“I have talked to Cory and I feel that he would be a great candidate for the U.S. Senate,” Buck said in an interview. “I am stepping aside so he can run against Mark Udall.”

Ken Buck might have just made the right choice. According to the latest polls, Mark Udall is slight leading the race with a 46% to 42% edge on former Congressman Cory Gardner.

Mark Udall has a strong political resume that makes the voters feel comfortable when he is in office. Udall was elected to the U.S senate in 2008. Previously, he represented the state’s 2nd congressional district for five terms. He also served one term as a member of the general assembly representing the 13th district (1997-99).

Cory Gardner might not have the same resume to match up, but this tough politician definitely has credentials to be proud of. A fifth-generation Coloradan, Gardner served in the state legislature for five years prior to being elected to Congress to represent the states 4th Congressional District.

Mr. Gardner actually went up in the ratings after the people of Colorado found out that Senator Udall was a supporter of Obamacare. Gardner prides himself in being member of a powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. He claims that he co-wrote the law that launched the state’s green energy industry.

In 2007, the House of Representatives twice passed a national renewable electricity standard championed by Mark. It seems like Udall has a slight advantage over his opponent, and being the incumbent definitely helps to his advantage.

Lynn Bartels from The Denver Post stated, “Udall received higher unfavorable marks than Gardner at 47 percent, with 40 percent favorable, while 13 percent of Coloradans said they need to know more about the first-term senator.” These two politicians are going at it neck to neck and it should be an interesting election come November 4th.