http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15426114/from/RS.1/
Republicans struggling in Colorado
In normally strong Bush state, governor and three House seats at risk
The governorship and three GOP-held House seats are within Democratic reach in the state that backed a Republican in the past three presidential elections and is home to military bases and the prominent religious conservative group Focus on the Family.
A confluence of growing voter unease with the Iraq war, President Bush's sagging poll numbers and Republican blunders and intraparty fighting have undercut the GOP - a reality Republicans acknowledge.
The wild west?
"The West is probably going to be a good battleground to watch and see if we're in a period of change," said Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor.
It's Beauprez's seat in the Denver suburbs that Democrats consider one of their best chances of winning.
The largely blue-collar district is nearly evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. It narrowly went for Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.
The two national parties have spent slightly more than $1 million apiece on the race.
"People have had enough with the White House and Republican leadership in Congress," said Democrat Ed Perlmutter, a former Colorado state senator running against Republican Rick O'Donnell. "They've lost complete touch with the people of Colorado."
Battle over Iraq, Social Security, immigration
Perlmutter has a slight edge in recent polls for the open seat race, thanks in part to people like Robert Benallo, an unaffiliated voter and retired heavy machine operator.
Benallo is leaning toward voting for Perlmutter because he is worried his grandsons might be sent to fight in Iraq.
"I think the war in Iraq is a mistake," Benallo said. "This is personal."
O'Donnell, 36, acknowledges he faces an uphill battle partly because of his party. He is hoping his youthful looks and ideas translate into a fresh face that could change Washington. O'Donnell is a former director of the state Commission on Higher Education.
But O'Donnell also had to apologize early in the campaign for writing a paper 12 years ago calling for the government to "slay" Social Security. He has since enrolled his mother in Social Security and said he now thinks experts should start from scratch to overhaul the program.
But voters like Donald Abell still say they don't believe him.
Republicans struggling in Colorado
In normally strong Bush state, governor and three House seats at risk
The governorship and three GOP-held House seats are within Democratic reach in the state that backed a Republican in the past three presidential elections and is home to military bases and the prominent religious conservative group Focus on the Family.
A confluence of growing voter unease with the Iraq war, President Bush's sagging poll numbers and Republican blunders and intraparty fighting have undercut the GOP - a reality Republicans acknowledge.
The wild west?
"The West is probably going to be a good battleground to watch and see if we're in a period of change," said Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor.
It's Beauprez's seat in the Denver suburbs that Democrats consider one of their best chances of winning.
The largely blue-collar district is nearly evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. It narrowly went for Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.
The two national parties have spent slightly more than $1 million apiece on the race.
"People have had enough with the White House and Republican leadership in Congress," said Democrat Ed Perlmutter, a former Colorado state senator running against Republican Rick O'Donnell. "They've lost complete touch with the people of Colorado."
Battle over Iraq, Social Security, immigration
Perlmutter has a slight edge in recent polls for the open seat race, thanks in part to people like Robert Benallo, an unaffiliated voter and retired heavy machine operator.
Benallo is leaning toward voting for Perlmutter because he is worried his grandsons might be sent to fight in Iraq.
"I think the war in Iraq is a mistake," Benallo said. "This is personal."
O'Donnell, 36, acknowledges he faces an uphill battle partly because of his party. He is hoping his youthful looks and ideas translate into a fresh face that could change Washington. O'Donnell is a former director of the state Commission on Higher Education.
But O'Donnell also had to apologize early in the campaign for writing a paper 12 years ago calling for the government to "slay" Social Security. He has since enrolled his mother in Social Security and said he now thinks experts should start from scratch to overhaul the program.
But voters like Donald Abell still say they don't believe him.
