Adams, Pueblo County Voters 'Looking For Something Different'
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - Hillary Clinton may be losing some some support in some traditionally Democratic-leaning areas like Adams County and Pueblo County.
For decades, Adams County has been a Democratic stronghold. Once a manufacturing hub, it's home to mostly blue collar workers hard hit by the Great Recession.
The median family income remains below the state average, and long-held political alliances are shifting.
"Hillary (Clinton) is talking about the economy like it has come back and it's booming and they look at their situation and they're still struggling to pay rent. They're still struggling to get raises every year. So they are a population that doesn't feel like the Democratic party is espousing their views," said Tyler Sandberg, who managed Republican Rep. Mike Coffman's campaign in 2014.
In 2014 Republicans took more races in Adams County than they had in nearly 80 years, and Coffman, who won the county by 1 point in 2012, walked away with it by 14 points in 2014.
"Because he worked hard for the votes and Dems took them for granted. And that's what's happening now is Hillary is at a risk of taking voters for granted," Sandberg said.
It's not just Adams County where a political shift is taking place in Colorado. A Republican hasn't won statewide office in Pueblo County for more than 40 years, but Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner lost it by just 300 votes in 2014.
"They're giving a serious look at Donald Trump, and some of the positions that he's taken are appealing to working class voters, to labor folks. On issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership he's been very clear from the outset that he opposes that trade deal," said Democratic State Rep. Dominick Moreno.
Moreno is a Colorado native who grew up in Adams County and says many working class voters in Adams County and the Pueblo area simply want change.
"Voters are looking for something different in this election. The question is if they're going to look for something as different as Trump," he said.
"I think the message for Hillary Clinton is you don't take Adams County and you don't take Pueblo County for granted."
While Clinton may be losing support in some traditionally Democratic counties, she could make it up in traditional swing counties like Arapahoe County and Jefferson County where women are a key vote.
