Colorado Stays Red

Democrats hoping to stem the upcoming Republican tide in the Senate will have to look somplace other than Colorado. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell has a commanding lead in polls pitting him against both specific and generic Democrats. Congressman Mark Udall had been rumored as a challenger, but fares poorly outside his home district. Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb had been testing the waters over on the Western Slope, but may be keeping his powder dry for a 2006 run for governor.

Campbell has always been popular in Colorado. When the Republican won control of Congress in 1994, he switched parties, but not really voting pattern. He'd been a centrist and remained a centrist. He's got an odd public persona, playing off his Indian background, wearing a ponytail, and riding a Harley. I've never really warmed to deliberate eccentrics; the main event is always the voting record and policy proposals. On the whole, Campbell seems harmless enough, and should keep the seat warm while the state Republicans try to produce a successor.