In Colorado, gubernatorial candidates court Latinos, talk leadership

At a quaint tamale shop on this city’s north side, Democratic brass on Sunday gathered in support of Gov. John Hickenlooper, who this week faces one of the toughest election battles of his decadelong political career.

As the smells of handmade tamales and slow-cooked green chile wafted through the dining room, Hickenlooper, joined at the event by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, stood near the shop’s entrance. In an interview, he spoke about the need to rally Latino voters ahead of election day.

“The election is going to be close. ... Therefore a group like Latinos, who traditionally don’t vote, who don’t turn out and vote in the same proportion as, say, other constituencies, this is where if they rise up and vote they’ll make a difference,” the governor said.

Hickenlooper, who is seeking a second term and is being challenged by Republican former Rep. Bob Beauprez, emphasized that in his first four years in the governor’s mansion he had signed measures important to the Latino community, which made up 14% of the state’s electorate in 2012 and continues to grow.

Nationwide, political analysts expect the turnout of Latino voters, who usually vote for Democrats by huge margins, to be lower than two years ago. That is not good news for Democrats in states like Colorado, Georgia and Florida this midterm cycle.

“We’ve done all kinds of things for civil rights,” said Hickenlooper, highlighting that he had signed bills that allow undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates and driver’s licenses. “These are all things important to the community.”

Four years ago, Hickenlooper cruised to victory by double digits as embattled state Republicans split the ticket, with former Rep. Tom Tancredo running as a third-party candidate.

But this year, with no Tancredo on the ballot and a united Republican Party, Hickenlooper faces a formidable challenge from Beauprez, who himself is making a second run for governor after losing in 2006 to the Democrat in the race, then-Denver Dist. Atty. Bill Ritter.

Democrats who packed into the tamale shop Sunday felt unease about polls showing the race a dead heat with three days left for voters to submit ballots. (Colorado’s vote is all-mail this year, for the first time.)

“It’s close, a little too close, and polls show that, but we’re optimistic. Democrats always come through at the finish line,” said Paula Sandoval, the tamale shop’s owner, whose late husband, Paul, was a Democratic power broker in the state, helping to launch the careers of Salazar and several local Latino elected officials.

As Hickenlooper sought to place the spotlight on Latino voters Sunday, Beauprez huddled with a small group of volunteers making calls to voters from offices just eight miles away. There, he took aim at the governor’s leadership style.

“People are so hungry for someone who is willing to lead,” Beauprez said. “I think back to past elections and I think was there a last state election when it really came down to that one word - leadership. ... That’s what we hear.”

Beauprez criticized Hickenlooper’s leadership on a series of controversial issues - including a package of gun-control measures, a temporary reprieve from a death sentence for a convicted killer, and renewable energy mandates on rural electric cooperatives - that the governor has supported.

“It’s about leadership, and we have not had strong leadership,” Beauprez said, reiterating a line he’s recited in speeches and television ads in recent weeks.

Ballots began arriving in voters’ mailboxes in mid-October, and as of Friday, nearly 1.1 million Coloradans had voted. Republicans outpaced Democrats by about 104,00 votes. Elections officials expect a little more than 2 million ballots to have been cast by the time voting ends at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Karen Williams, a Denver resident who was making calls for Beauprez on Sunday, felt optimistic that Republicans would maintain their advantage through election day.

“This won’t be 2012; it won’t be 2010; it won’t be 2008. This year is going to be a good year for Republicans in Colorado. I just can feel it,” Williams said.

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