Gov. Ritter likes Obama's chances in Colorado

Although in past elections it was Florida or Ohio, in 2008 Colorado may be the state that tips the scales.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is sure Colorado will be going blue in the November election, and that the state will play a key role in the Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s road to the White House.

“I believe he is going to win Colorado,” Ritter said Wednesday in an interview at the state Capitol. “I think he is going to win the election because of Colorado. It is going to be important at the end of the day.”

Although Ritter acknowledged the role college-aged students have played thus far in the election, especially in Obama’s campaign, he said it will be the independent voters who really make the difference.

“Independent voters really care a great deal about education issues. They care about health care, but they don’t want the government to tax them in such a way that they are taxed out of existence,” Ritter said.

Across Colorado, the number of registered independents has increased in recent years. Ritter also said the state has seen a trend over the last four years of Democrats winning seats traditionally held by Republicans, due in large part to these independents. However, the Democrats have not carried Colorado in a presidential election since 1992.

Obama will have a chance to court independents and woo Colorado during the presidential debates this fall. Ritter said Obama’s charismatic speaking abilities will no doubt shine once again but are not just for show — he knows what he is talking about.

“He’s a very substantive guy,” Ritter said. “I think that matters, and that helps. He’s able to talk about policy issues in some significant detail.”

While accusations of inexperience may be present at the debates and certainly in attack ads, Ritter does not believe it will factor into the election results, nor does he find any cause for concern in Hillary Clinton’s possible attempts to cause controversy at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Even Obama’s so-called celebrity status and charges of weak patriotism have ceased to raise questions in Ritter’s mind.

However, after his experiences with racial injustice and inequity as a prosecutor for the city of Denver, Ritter said the issue of race will be a factor even if people don’t want to admit it.

“I think there will be people that will think about his race as they go into the booth because we haven’t completely managed to absolve ourselves,” said Ritter.

Regardless of the election outcome, Ritter said there is no doubt we have moved forward, and Obama will have taken us a significant distance on the journey to change.

Stephanie South is a Central High School graduate and student at the University of Northern Colorado. She will cover the Democratic National Convention through an internship with the Colorado Press Association.