Trump statements, slow start put pivotal Southwest at risk
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may have pushed it over the edge. Trump’s disparaging words about Mexicans, negative comments about women and weak campaign organization have punctuated the state’s shift from a nip-and-tuck battleground to one that’s Democratic-friendly. For the first time in more than 20 years, there are now more registered Democrats in the state than Republicans.
DENVER >> Once a swing state in presidential elections, Colorado has teetered on the brink of becoming solidly Democratic. Donald Trump may have pushed it over the edge.
Trump’s disparaging words about Mexicans, negative comments about women and weak campaign organization have punctuated the state’s shift from a nip-and-tuck battleground to one that’s Democrat-friendly. For the first time in more than 20 years, there are now more registered Democrats in the state than Republicans.
“Trump is turning off as many key voter groups as we have in this state,” said former state Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams. “I would have to believe Trump’s having trouble.”
And it’s not just Colorado. Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and weak campaign structure could ensure that perennially competitive Nevada and New Mexico are out of reach as well.
That matters for Trump. He can’t win the 270 electoral votes needed to capture the presidency without capturing some states that favored Barack Obama in the last two elections.
The three Southwestern states — which have a combined 21 electoral votes — might have offered some hope. All backed Republican George W. Bush 12 years ago.
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But Trump isn’t making as much of a push for those states as is his likely Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. He made his first campaign appearance in Colorado just Friday, speaking at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver.
Clinton made her fifth trip on Wednesday, proposing college-loan deferment for graduates who start businesses. It was a tactical move aimed at swaying young voters, many of whom flocked to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who beat Clinton soundly in March’s Colorado caucuses.
“Hillary has some ground to make up,” said Craig Hughes, who ran Democratic President Barack Obama’s winning 2012 Colorado campaign. “But compared to Trump, Hillary is in a far, far better place.”
In Colorado, Clinton’s campaign is spending $2.4 million on television advertising this month through Election Day, while a group that supports Clinton, Priorities USA, is spending $13.6 million, according to Kantar Media’s campaign advertising tracker. In Nevada, Clinton is spending $2 million and Priorities USA is spending $10.4 million.
Neither Trump nor any super PACs supporting him have reserved advertising time in the two states. Super PACs are organizations that can spend unlimited funds on a candidate, but can’t coordinate with the campaign.
The National Rifle Association’s political arm is making small ad buys — $155,000 in Colorado and $98,000 in Nevada — to attack Clinton’s handling of the attacks on diplomatic compounds in Libya while she was secretary of state.
Clinton has had staff in Nevada for more than a year, ahead of the state’s early caucuses, and in Colorado for almost a year. Trump has a Colorado state campaign director and a Southwest regional director in Nevada.
If Colorado is a stretch for Trump, Nevada and New Mexico may be out of reach with their larger Hispanic populations and wider Democratic edge. The number of Hispanic voters has boomed in Nevada, more than doubling as a percentage of the state’s voters since 1980, to an estimated 22 percent this year. In New Mexico, nearly half the population is Hispanic.
Trump has alienated Hispanics with his call to build a wall on the Mexican border, his plans to deport the roughly 11 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally and by characterizing some Mexican immigrants as drug smugglers and rapists.
Still, Nevada Republican strategist Ryan Erwin says Trump could salve the wounds were he to make the effort himself.
“As that population changes, it’s harder for a Republican presidential candidate that isn’t here all the time,” said Erwin, 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s Nevada director.
But Trump is relying on the Republican National Committee for staffing, as he is in all competitive states, said Trump’s Colorado director, Patrick Davis.
“There’s only so much one presidential candidate can do,” Davis said. “You’ve got to use all of the means of communication to get it done.”
Trump’s statements, late organizational start and Clinton’s statewide organization have her Colorado director Emmy Ruiz cautiously optimistic.
“I think the odds are in our favor. But I don’t think that they are strong odds. I also don’t think they are high enough for us to sit back,” Ruiz said.
Part of Clinton’s tail wind: Democrats in April nosed ahead of Republicans in voter registration for the first time since 1994. Since 2012, Democratic voter registration in Colorado has grown 7.5 percent, compared to 5 percent for Republicans.
In Nevada, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 70,000, a gap that Democrats and Republicans say could top 120,000 by Election Day. It’s a small but significant chunk of the state’s 1.5 million voters.
“Unless and until Republicans can match the kind of funding Democrats have put into their voter registration here, Republicans are going to fall behind,” said Erwin, the Republican strategist.
Last week, 18-year-old Kevin Garcia knocked on doors in 100-plus degree heat, registering Las Vegas residents to vote. He then attended a Clinton campaign calling session at a pizza restaurant.
Garcia, whose family emigrated from Mexico, was among about a dozen callers sipping cold Pepsis and using cellphones to call Nevadans. His goal was to make 100 calls that night — some in Spanish.
He said he supports Clinton because of her support for allowing people in the United States illegally to stay under certain circumstances. And because of Trump’s rhetoric.
“And my whole family is naturalized,” he said. “We’re all citizens.”
55 responses to “Trump statements, slow start put pivotal Southwest at risk”
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Well I think “slow start” is putting it kindly. Trump’s been all over the map but he does have one consistent position: p**s off as many people as possible at every opportunity. He can’t really be surprised that isn’t working out too well with the people who plan to vote.
Hilliary’s campaign is in full tilt. She’s getting a lot of news coverage along with the millions of dollars of attack ads.
AP & SA part of hiLIARy for PRISONdent attack ads.
For Trump, his so-called campaign is just entertainment and w ay to build his brand. But for America he is a disaster.
Even his friends though are counseling him now that his tactics have backfired. The angry white men in his base can’t afford what he sells. People who can afford his condos and such are now asking that the Trump name be stricken from the buildings.
Not a good branding effort. The only thing that makes sense would be if he starts his own Fox-like cable network to get (Trump University like) subscriptions from fellow racists. You know that some folks on here would pay for that service!
A lot of people are taking notice of your comments.
The problem with Trump is that by running for President he had to reveal hisTRUE SELF and it is pretty ugly to all except Caucasians with racist tendecies. However Trump still is hiding how much he makes and what he pays in taxes because he is still withholding his tax returns. Just saw the hit movie Purge: Election Year and the movie is patterned after the Trump vs Hillary matchup and will scare the shatz out of younger American Bernie Sanders supporters to vote for Hillary and not Trump. The only thing that can really stop Hillary from becoming the next Pres of thr US is if she gets indicted for email-gate and that will never happen now that Bill Clinton made a special trip to meet with Lynch on an airport tarmac with no witnesses or recordings with what I think Bill made an offer for Lynch to continue on as the Attorney General of the US after Obama, but ONLY IF Hillary is elected Pres of the US. I also think Clinton ‘nicely reminded’ Lynch that if Hillary is indicted, Hillary’s defense will be to go after Obama that he is just as guilty because Obama was aware and approved of Hillary’s personal email server (Fox’s Jeanine Piro’s theory). I bet despite the tens of thousands of emails deleted off of Hillarys private email server, they kept ‘insurance protection’ of saving Obama or Valerie Jared’s email communication to Hillary that would be embarrassing or even severely detrimental to Obama such as a Whitehouse stand down order to perpuate the lie of the Benghazi atrack as a spontaneous demonstration to a video. Forget bad perception, Lynch had to meet with Bill because his one on one personal message is if Hillary goes down for email-gate, her boss Obama and his legacy will down as well. Why not just get with the program of letting Hillary become the next Pres of the US and enjoy the opportunity to continue on as Attorney General?
The southwest, remarkably, will probably flip entirely Democratic, thanks to Mr. Trump’s intemperate and racist comments about Latinos. Latino organizers are hold very large voter registration drives for U.S. citizens of Latino heritage, and people are showing up by the tens of thousands. This is going to be repeated in the American Muslim community, including among the large number of Muslims serving the United Stated armed forces.
And women too. Let’s not forget women!
He has been doing a great job with angry, slow, failed white men though. Looks like he that vote locked up!
What has hiLIARy accomplished that benefited a majority of Americans?
Run against tRUMP.
ZERO? lol
You have absolutely no desire to know what she’s done. You construct the criticisms of an 8 year-old by talking about her pant suits. You don’t want to learn, and your comments suggest not learning has been your life long passion.
So ZILCH? lol
The failed lawyer is all alone and continues the name calling and can’t cite any of HiLIARy’s accomplishments. Even Chuck Turd is questioning Ms Pant Suit. Trump more honest then Hilly. booya
sarge22 – Yes, Chuck Turd and Ms. Pant Suit.
Are you in the same sixth grade class?
It keeps getting better. More of Hillary’s deleted emails have been found and the FBI is on the job.
If I was Latino living legally in America I would not want an illegal or Syrian refugee taking my job from me. If I was a peace loving Muslim living in America I would not want a radical Islamist making a bomb to kill non believers.
Many feel the same.
I don’t know why you are so concerned about Trump. She has this race in the brown paper bag.
People aren’t “illegal.” You’re writing like a neo-Nazi. People commit illegal acts, but they never become “illegal.”
I’m concerned about Trump because he’s an overt racist who is now an international laughingstock. He needs to be beaten so badly, that his racist, ignorant message is crushed. Racists who support Mr. Trump, including people on this comment board, need to see that defeat and feel the sting of it.
Senator Sanders says now that the united goal of Democrats should be to deliver a humiliating, 50-state loss to Trump so that he and his incoherent message disappears forever from the national scene.
What has hiLIARy accomplished that benefited a majority of Americans?
Take it easy. Ok, you win. There’s no need to pop you top.
Semantics. People are crossing the border into the US without permission. Therefore these people are illegally here. Final reply to Klasri who is obviously a kook.
Yep, illegal refugee aka as immigrant. That’s why he read the 800 page Benghazi report with both eyes closed.
Windward_Side – It’s just that I actually understand the meaning of words. You don’t, apparently. Please don’t project your failure onto me.
Clinton says it depends on the meaning of the word “is.”
Klastri, I will join the chorus in discussing with a retired attorney that the Klastri position on the Presidential election is understandable, but off based. Again, let’s wait till some two weeks after the National Conventions to truly evaluate why GOP Candidate Trump will stomp Ms Hillary. As you know, in elections the voter must know, like, and trust the candidate he/she will cast their vote. Ms Hillary is well known, is disliked and for certain not trusted by the registered American voter. And most critically, by a majority of Democrats. There are a handful of Republicans in a similar position against Mr. Trump, but most will vote for Mr. Trump because of the nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. What does your friends say, three or four in the next 8 years. Klastri, keep the faith.
Wake up kuroiwaj it’s just a bad nightmare.
You are making up your own polls and your own facts. Mr. Trump cannot win.
The source of Trump’s controversial tweet showing Hillary Clinton with a Star of David and a background of $100 dollar bills has been discovered and reported by Esquire. The image didn’t originate with the Trump campaign. It is a re-tweet of a week-old image from a neo-nazi website. It’s bad enough that the Republican party is about to nominate someone who gets much of his information from conspiracy theory websites, but now it undeniable that Republican candidate is a neo-nazi. To paraphrase the duck test, if you frequent neo-nazi websites, if you repeat what you read on neo-nazi websites, and if you directly lift and re-send neo-nazi materials, then you are a neo-nazi.
BS….Amb. Christopher Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith & Tyrone Woods. Americans left behind to be tortured, murdered. hiLIARy has your back.
I see that you haven’t read the Gowdy report yet. No surprise there.
Ignorance is bliss!
And no matter how many times – over and over and over and over again – you write hiLIARy, it’s fresh and funny every time!
WOW! You obviously haven’t!!!!
Keonigohan – Of course I did.
That’s the difference between you and me. I read to learn before making up my mind. You are not burdened with intellectual curiosity. Rather, you’ll support an overt racist. Good for you!
You do put up a really good argument (over and over again) against Mrs. Clinton’s pant suits. I’m sure other sixth graders think that ‘s very funny!
I want you to read it again but this time openly and unbiased.
Sounds like you made up your mind before you read it. I like when Hilliary said nothing new, let’s move on. They didn’t need to come up anything new. What was in it was already incriminating.
lespark – You are seriously suggesting here that you read the Gowdy report? That is actually what you are trying to tell people here?
Boy, I hope Klastri doesn’t jump off the Pali lookout if Hilliary loses. Then again…..
You always think death (particularly mine, apparently) is funny or something to be sarcastic about. That is the sign of a profound clinical personality defect. You don’t know that of course, but others do.
I couldn’t possibly care less what you think about me.
Klastri aka Kurt on Kauai aka kauai…is too narcissistic…..he would miss himself.
where’s boolakanaka?
I apologize, I hope you are not suicidal.
Yes. He has already thrown Latinos, women and Muslims out of the party.
Now, his anti-semitism is bubbling up. Why not throw out Jewish folks as well? His pathetic defense is that he didn’t know it was from a neo-nazi website. He just cannot scrape any deeper into the bottom of that barrel.
Please answer a simple question please. What has hiLIARy accomplished that benefited a majority of Americans?
Nearly every foreign policy victory of President Obama’s second term has Secretary Clinton’s fingerprints on it’
By Harry Reid, Senate Democratic leader.
Blood too.
Hillary Clinton served the United States as Secretary of State. You have no idea what that means, of course. The State Department benefits all of us.
That’s the last question from you I’m ever going to answer. You criticize Mrs. Clinton as if you’re in the sixth grade (your deeply bizarre comments about her clothing) and you have obsessively confused me with another writer from another website, or you are lying about that. I vote for the latter. You support a racist and an apparent neo-Nazi.
You are not worthy of response, so you’re not going to get any. Enjoy marinating in your ignorance and racism.
Keonigohan, you have accomplished something I’ve never thought possible. Congratulations.
The Secretary of State served Hilliary Clinton.
She married Bill Clinton. I don’t care what he did in his personal life bottom line is he was a great president and my vote is for Bill and not Hillary.
Sounds like the “Media” is a little up set that Trump is doing so well… and still not spending any money with them… LOL
Hilliary and her campaign is getting a lot of free press and cable coverage lately. With her millions of dollars of attack ads she has mounted a three prong attack. Please keep the money rolling in for my defense fund. Brown paper bags only. Cash only. And due to the pending criminal investigation, please, no emails.
Your guy already lost. Get over it.
It’s not over until the two fat ladies sing. I am sure as soon as they left FBI headquarters they did damage control. As we speak Wasserman, party officials, Bernie, Joe, Barry, Loretta, Bill, might be at 40,000 feet in AF1 figuring out what to do next.
The games have just begun.
Sarge: Actually the game is over and Trump will lose. Like George Will, the Repubs need to quietly accept the defeat and start to plan for four years from now. Hilary is a nothing but she has Bill Clinton and I think she is smart enough to make him a shadow President and he is far superior to be the brains behind the operation than Valerie Jared for Obama or Cheney and Rumsfeld for Bush-2. I actually think, or at least hope he will force homeland security, FBI, CIA, miliitary etc to truly work together and fight homegrown Islamic terrorist in the US and around the world. I would rather have Bill Clinton help lead in making decisons that his wife will follow of combating Islamic terrorism over Trump, Chris Christie or Newt Gingrich. I also will hope Bill will help the US economically strong and atually help reverse the growing debt ballooned by Obama. I also hope Hillary and Bill will start to bringing the races together in the US compared to BOTH Obama and Trump who both foster racism and hate
Now I get it and all this time I thought inverse was pro Hilliary.
Definition of inverse.
-opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or effect.
“the well-observed inverse relationship between disability and social contact”
Says something but means the opposite.
Throw the towel in its a tko. There is no way that Truump will win. The rats are abandoning ship.