Coffman, Romanoff US House Race Among Toughest
DENVER (AP) - Democrat Andrew Romanoff is hoping for an upset in a congressional district in Denver's eastern suburbs that has been in Republican hands since its creation more than 30 years ago.
The former state House speaker's bid against three-term Republican Rep. Mike Coffman is one of the country's most competitive U.S. House races. It also is the most expensive congressional race in state history.
Romanoff moved to Aurora last year to challenge Coffman. The district has been redrawn to include more Democrats and unaffiliated voters and is now about 20 percent Latino.
Coffman hasn't taken the challenge sitting down. He has been aggressively courting the district's many immigrant groups and has learned Spanish to help communicate with his constituents.
The new boundaries and growing influence of Latino and immigrant voters have driven the race, which will determine who controls a Colorado House delegation that consists of four Republicans and three Democrats. Coffman is the only incumbent facing a real challenge.
The two candidates have raised more than $9 million, according to federal campaign finance disclosures. The national parties and their allies have spent several million more. According to the Wesleyan Media Project, the race checks in at sixth-highest in the nation this year for television ad volume.
Romanoff describes Coffman as an out-of-touch conservative whose background as a staunch opponent of illegal immigration makes him a bad fit for the current district.
"It is very important to me that we have, in this district, a congressman who respects our diversity," Romanoff said last week at the pair's final debate, conducted in Spanish.
But Coffman has softened his immigration tone dramatically since the district was redrawn after the 2010 Census. He's spent weekends learning Spanish and has kept up a tireless schedule meeting with Aurora's many immigrant communities.
Coffman insists he can relate to the district's many newcomers.
"I grew up in a working-class family in Aurora, earning the minimum wage," Coffman said in the debate. "I know what it's like to work hard and for many hours to achieve the American dream."
The race is a national bellwether.
If Coffman hangs on, he'll be a model for other Republicans trying to appeal to diversifying voter bases. Democrats are hoping a Romanoff upset presages inroads into other suburban areas long considered safe turf for the GOP.
Both parties sent in big names. Former GOP Florida Gov. Jeb Bush campaigned for Coffman, and former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Romanoff.
Despite the firepower and the campaigns, the candidates' messages haven't gotten to everyone. In several visits to grocery stores, restaurants and community events in Aurora, voters frequently said they weren't paying much attention.
"I don't know much about either one, I must say," said barber Ruben Kikirov, who keeps a TV running in his Aurora shop but says he's been ignoring the political ads.
Still, the national parties are watching.
Denver's western suburbs, held by Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, have proven tough ground for the GOP since the party lost it in 2006. A Romanoff win would give Democrats solid control of the metropolitan Denver area, with just Colorado Springs and the state's rural east and west districts under Republican control.
- By Kristen Wyatt, AP Writer
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