Governor Candidates Put The Focus On Last-Minute Voters
DENVER (CBS4) - With Election Day only a day away, the two candidates in Colorado's tight governor's race are going to be visiting with voters in more than a dozen different cities.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper will be visiting eight different cities on Monday, including some on the Front Range. Republican challenger Bob Beauprez will be in nine different cities on Monday, but he's sticking to cities on Colorado's Western Slope.
On Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet joined Hickenlooper in his campaign bus, which included a stop at a Denver bar.
Hickenlooper said he's aware many Democrats in the state have been slow to vote by mail.
"I think they are just late voters," Hickenlooper told CBS4. "Some people like to get things done and do them first. Some people put it off for a little while."
That foot dragging may benefit Beauprez. The Republican challenger knows at this point his party faithful are energized.
The New York Times reported that GOP voters have turned in 104,000 more ballots than Democrats so far in the state's all-mail election.
"They're hungry," Beauprez told CBS4. "They're hungry on a national basis. They're hungry here in Colorado -- hungry for some new leadership."
Hickenlooper, however, is banking on his campaign theme of economic recovery.
"We're the no. 1 fastest growing economy. We've gone from 40th to fourth in job creation," Hickenlooper said.
Beauprez counters that by arguing the recovery for Colorado is not widespread.
"There's a whole bunch of the state, in fact where I'm headed right now -- Grand Junction? It had negative economic growth last year. Colorado Springs had negative economic growth last year. A lot of people in Colorado are saying 'You know, I heard about that recovery. Where's mine?' "
If he loses in his re-election bid, Hickenlooper would be the first governor in Colorado in 50 years to lose in a re-election.
