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Seizing On Their 2018 Victories, Colorado Democrats Make New Push In Traditional Republican Stronghold - Colorado Public Radio

Douglas County is a powerhouse for the current Colorado Republican party; most of the top Republican leaders at the statehouse live there. And whatever the outcome, this statehouse race won’t affect control of the legislature. Democrats have a wide majority in the House, with Republicans holding the fewest seats they’ve had since 1965. But Republican political consultant Tyler Sandberg said it’s still an important barometer, and losing a seat in Douglas county would be a bad sign for the party. 

“Republicans have to prove that we want to be a long-term governing party. We want to be back in the majority and that's going to come down to, can we field good candidates like Kevin Van Winkle on a regular basis out of Douglas County.” 

Democrat Barrett Rothe lost to Van Winkle in 2018 but said the party’s many other wins that year make him more optimistic about his party’s chances this time around.

“If we go on the offense here, we don't need to be on the offense in Arapahoe County or Jefferson County or Weld or Larimer or El Paso or Pueblo, or some of these other places; we can force them to defend this last stronghold and try to take it.” 

Van Winkle’s opponent this year, Democrat Jennifer Mitkowski, is a physician assistant. She’s seen the firsthand effects of the coronavirus pandemic and is running on a platform to lower health care costs and increase teacher pay. She said she’s heard from fiscal conservatives who have left the Republican party because they feel it isn’t inclusive enough. 

“I believe in LGBTQ rights and immigrant rights. And that was the sole heart of me becoming a registered Democrat in the first place. But in the essence of things, I believe in not being political and being open to looking at things from both sides of the table,”  said Mitkowski.

'I wish they'd leave their politics there'

Not surprisingly, with a pandemic and a presidential race, most Highlands Ranch voters CPR talked to weren’t thinking much about the statehouse seat. For many, their votes in the state House race will likely mirror the choices they make higher up the ballot.

Amy Carlson lost her job due to the coronavirus. The Republican mother of two said she believes President Trump gets blamed for things that are not his fault. And once she’s voted to reelect the president, she said she plans to support local Republicans like Van Winkle too. 

“You'll see a lot of voices like mine, but we're silenced because of all these crazy, over-the-top, out-outspoken far-left people. And that doesn't mean we don't vote. And that doesn't mean we don't win things. We just don't always voice our opinion because we're not as, you know, hateful,” she said as she was sitting outside of a Jimmy John’s restaurant while her son was getting his hair cut next door. 

Another longtime Republican voter, Kathleen Heller, said she has seen a shift in Highlands Ranch politics in the twenty years she’s lived there, as more Democrats have arrived from Denver and other parts of the state and country. 

“It's fine if people move in, but I wish they'd leave their politics there. Don't bring it with you,” she said. “Unfortunately, that's what's happened.” 

If that trend continues, those politics could eventually become the new face of Highlands Ranch.

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August 27, 2020 at 04:33AM
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Seizing On Their 2018 Victories, Colorado Democrats Make New Push In Traditional Republican Stronghold - Colorado Public Radio
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