Obama takes the lead, sweeping usually Dem states

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Barack Obama opened a lead in his bid to become the first black president Tuesday night, moving ahead of Republican John McCain in a nation clamoring for change. Fellow Democrats picked up Senate seats in Virginia and North Carolina and elected a Missouri governor.

Obama swept to victories in traditionally Democratic states in the East and Midwest and jumped ahead in fragmentary returns from Pennsylvania, a state where his rival invested heavily in hopes of winning in traditionally inhospitable territory.

McCain countered in the safest of Republican states.

That left the battlegrounds to settle the race: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, as well as Pennsylvania and more. Most were customarily Republican, but Obama spent millions hoping to peel away enough to make him the 44th president.

"May God bless whoever wins tonight," President Bush told dinner guests at the White House, according to spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Salazar visits downtown Denver

Update #4

By Joe Hanel

DENVER - The Udall-Obama offices are plowing through to 7 p.m., too.

Sen. Ken Salazar visited a downtown Denver office at 4 p.m. Several volunteers posed for pictures with him while coordinators in yellow T-shirts got ready for the final wave of door-to-door canvassing.

About 4:15, one of them put an end to the photos with loud, staccato hand claps.

"Canvass, canvass, canvass," he said. "Let's go. We gotta get outta here."

Salazar said Election Day seems to be going well in Colorado.

"I hear a lot of good things. Turnout is heavy. There are minimal problems around the state," Salazar said.

Bob Schaffer helps make final calls

By Joe Hanel

GREENWOOD VILLAGE - Less than two hours to go, and Bob Schaffer is on the phone to undecided voters.

He's not alone. About 70 Republican volunteers are making calls from one of the GOP's major call centers in a south Denver office park.

"You get one," a volunteer asks as Schaffer hangs up.

"He's out voting right now," Schaffer says.

Schaffer knew exactly who he needed to talk to when he dialed. The phones here are linked to the Internet, and during a conversation the volunteers can add information into the GOP's national voter database in Nashville with the touch of a button.

Republicans are counting on this high-tech blitz to hold Colorado. If they do, they will need to succeed right here in Arapahoe County. It encompasses the populous southern suburbs of Denver, and until just a few weeks ago, Republicans outnumbered Democrats. Traditionally, GOP candidates figure they will lose Denver and Boulder but run up big margins in Colorado Springs. That leaves Arapahoe County as one of the big swing counties where, in the past, they have been able to beat Democrats and sew up statewide victories.

Schaffer says he sees more enthusiasm and sense of purpose among GOP volunteers this year.

"These people are really driven by a concept of what single-party dominance of the political system would mean," Schaffer said.
In addition to emotion, the volunteers here are fueled by pizza and pasta.

Meanwhile, a dry-erase board keeps track of John McCain's electoral votes. So far, he has eight (from Kentucky). Two hundred sixty two to go.

La Plata County votes

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., laughs as he acknowledges the cheers of supporters at the last rally in his 2008 presidential campaign at Grand Junction, Colo., Tuesday afternoon. Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Democrats snag Va. Senate seat, expect more gains

By TOM RAUM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner breezed to victory in his bid for the Senate on Tuesday, snagging a southern seat long held by Republicans and fueling expectations that Democrats would solidify their now-thin leadership grip over the chamber.

Warner beat another former governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, in the race to replace retiring five-term Sen. John W. Warner. The two Warners are not related.

Denver Election Commission - Don't expect results Tuesday night

DENVER (AP) _ The polls are now open in Colorado for slightly more than one-half of the state's registered voters who didn't cast their ballots by mail or at an early-voting location.

Election officials say nearly 1.6 million out of 3.2 million Colorado voters have cast early ballots.

Still, don't expect final results Tuesday.

Denver Election Commission spokesman Alton Dillard says the "days of having your close to final results by 10 p.m. are over." He says officials have tried to make it clear from early on that workers will still be counting ballots into Wednesday, and that still holds true.

Elections from president on down the ticket

By The Associated Press

What's at stake in Tuesday's election:

PRESIDENT — Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are on the ballot in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Independent Ralph Nader is on 44 ballots, while Libertarian Bob Barr is on 43.

SENATE — Voters in 33 states will choose 35 senators, 33 for six-year terms. Special elections are being held in Mississippi and Wyoming, to fill the remaining four years in seats now held by gubernatorial appointees. At stake are 23 seats now held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. Open Republican seats are in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico and Virginia. There are no open Democratic seats. Currently Democrats have the majority, 51-49, with two Democratic-leaning independents.

HOUSE — All 435 House seats are up for election. Republicans hold 199 seats, Democrats 235, with one vacancy.

GOVERNORS: Voters in 11 states are electing governors, with tight races in Washington, North Carolina and Indiana. Republicans are trying to chip away at Democrats' 28-22 gubernatorial majority ahead of 2010, when 36 states elect governors. At stake is control of electoral redistricting and the support governors will lend the 2012 presidential candidates.

BALLOT MEASURES: There are 153 measures on ballots in 36 states, including divisive proposals to ban abortion in South Dakota, outlaw affirmative action in Colorado and Nebraska, and ban same-sex marriage in three states, including California — where thousands of gays and lesbians have wed since a court ruling in May.

STATE LEGISLATURES: Political control of several key state legislatures could change hands, raising the chance for one-party domination of swing states such as Pennsylvania, Nevada and New York. The party that controls the legislatures helps craft domestic policy and draw congressional districts.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

Dem update in Lakewood

By Joe Hanel

LAKEWOOD - Here's what's going on right now in campaign offices across the country.

In the Democratic field office in Lakewood - one of more than 40 across Colorado - a map marks the 19 precincts that this office covers. Each precinct will be canvassed three times today by volunteers. Their job is to get friendly voters to the polls.

The office supervisors already know exactly which voters in their precincts have voted early, and they're getting live updates throughout the day from their local polling places on which voters have cast ballots.

They have divided each precinct into 'turfs' for canvass teams. At 11 a.m., volunteers were just leaving on their second canvass shift. In an adjacent room, another set of volunteers is making phone calls to voters.

Still more volunteers are assembling sack lunches for the crew. Volunteers returning from the morning shift take a seat on the floor to fill out their reports.

As the noon hour approaches, organizers are assembling 'comfort teams' to take water and other necessities to voters stuck in long lines.

Republicans are doing this, too. In fact, the GOP ground operation in Ohio in 2004 is widely credited for swinging that state to President Bush.

The McCain-Palin campaign has 12 such offices open around Colorado. Still, it's a far cry from Obama's 40-plus.

Senate candidate Mark Udall visited the Lakewood office this morning. He's seen his share of Colorado campaigns, but never anything quite like this.

Udall compared the Obama organization to a large, decentralized computer network like the Internet. "In that, I think it really mirrors our times," he said.

With so many offices, local volunteers find it easier to get involved, he said. In the Lakewood office, many volunteers were college-aged, but many others were taking the day off work or were retired.

"I think it's one of the secrets of Barack Obama's success. He's run a 21st century campaign," Udall said.

Udall stops in Lakewood

Rep. Mark Udall and his daughter, Tess, greet volunteers outside the Campaign for Change office in Lakewood, Colo., on Eleection Day, Nov. 4, 2008.

By Joe Hanel

DENVER Just a few hours left in this long campaign for U.S. Senate.

Republican Bob Schaffer is on his way to Grand Junction, where he will participate in a very last-minute rally with John McCain. Schaffer will return to Denver this evening for the state GOP party.

Democrat Mark Udall spent the morning visiting his ground troops at several campaign offices around Denver.

His bus rolled up the Lakewood office around 11:15, where he found a full house of volunteers.

"Thanks for everything you're doing," Udall told volunteers. "We're going to win, but we have to count the votes."

Udall has no public events until tonight's party with other Colorado Democrats in downtown Denver.

Campaign signs still taking a beating
Clovis Drive signs still up ‘to show people what idiots there are out there’

By Kathrine Warren
Herald Staff Report

In the build up to today’s election, more political signs were reported damaged or vandalized during the Halloween weekend.

County Commissioner Wally White, up for re-election, reported finding a group of signs along U.S. Highway 160 near Farmington Hill torn down or damaged Saturday morning.

“I’m just disgusted with it,” White said.

Signs supporting White, John Salazar, Mark Udall, Todd Risberg and Barack Obama were cut off and thrown aside, broken in half or torn off their posts. The only sign left standing was for County Commissioner Kellie Hotter.

They were posted on property owned by Bruce Garlick on the north side of the highway just east of Dietz Market. According to White, Garlick always supports Democratic candidates, and had Hotter’s sign posted because he is friends with her.

Hotter said she had heard reports of vandalism throughout the county, but to her knowledge her signs had only been damaged by weather.

“I think (vandalism) is distasteful,” she said.

White said he experienced sign vandalism during his last campaign four years ago.

“I had quite a few yard signs stolen and a big one torn down and stolen,” he said. “It’s a fairly common thing, but it’s disappointing it goes on in any case.”

La Plata County Republican Party Chairman Ron Tate, said area Republicans have reported signs going missing more than anything else, specifically signs supporting McCain and Sarah Palin.

“People are coming in three and four times for more signs,” Tate said.

Tate said he had received reports of multiple signs being stolen off properties, but couldn’t say exactly how many.

“Everyone’s got a right to the First Amendment,” he said. “Passions are running high and it’s an important election, I recommend to people to let their neighbors express their opinions and ideas.”

Nancy and Dan Stilwell had their signs supporting Udall and Obama damaged on Friday night on Clovis Drive. Saturday morning they found their two Obama signs and a Udall sign spray-painted with an ‘x’.

“I decided to leave them as is to kind of make a statement back,” Nancy said. “At first I thought I’d take them down, but I wanted to show people what idiots there are out there.”

She said the incident may have been related to Halloween activities, but her decorations and pumpkin weren’t touched. She also noted that signs supporting John McCain down the street were untouched.

La Plata County Democratic party Chairwoman Jean Walter said she doesn’t think political sign damage is done by campaign supporters.

“Well they might be Democrats or Republicans, I have no idea, but I think they’re vandals, and I don’t want to claim them, and I know the Republicans don’t want to either,” she said.

“Ron and I are working hard to get our candidates elected, and then these vandals come along and make both campaigns look bad.”

kwarren@durangoherald.com

County Dems flush with cash
GOP collects less than a fifth of their opponents’ take

By Dale Rodebaugh
Herald Staff Writer

In the last year, the Democratic Party in La Plata County received five times as much in monetary contributions as its Republican counterpart.

Records with the Colorado secretary of state’s office also show individual contributions figured prominently in donations to both parties, but the Democrats received support from the state organizers while local Republicans received none.

“That’s been the trend in the last two election cycles, 2006 and 2008,” said Ron Tate, the chairman of the county Republican Party. “Money has been tight, and we’re a small area, so the money has been going to larger areas.”

From Oct. 28, 2007 to Oct. 26, 2008, the La Plata County Democratic Party Central Committee received $60,784, according to the secretary of state. In the same period, the La Plata County Republican Party Central Committee received $11,938.

Numerous small contributions characterized the Democratic effort, said Jean Walter, the chairwoman of the county Democratic Party.

“It was amazing how people chipped in,” Walter said. “We got a ton of small donations because people wanted to be part of the effort. That’s the way they want our government to look.”

All contributions to Republicans in La Plata County came from individuals, including a resident of Oklahoma City. Nothing was received from the state Republican organization. Donations ranged from $500 from a Durango couple to one period in which the party received no contributions. In one reporting period, donations of less than $20 totaled $5,375 of a total of $9,105; in another period, almost $1,400 was received in donations of fewer than $20 out of a total of $1,667.

The Democratic Party’s top contributors in La Plata County were individuals, but most gave more than $20 each. The other main contributors to the Democratic cause were the La Plata County and the state Democratic Party, but they provided less than $7,500 of the almost $61,000 the party received. The Montezuma County Democratic Party Central Committee, a Cortez woman, and a man from Glenwood Springs also donated to La Plata County Democrats.

Over all, 444 individuals or party organizations contributed $20 or more to the Democratic campaign. The Republican campaign received $20 or more from 57 individuals.

daler@durangoherald.com

Hotter tops in campaign dollar chase
Incumbent commissioner raises far more than challenger Tregillus
by Shane Benjamin
Herald Staff Writer

Fueled in part by large contributions from individual donors, La Plata County Commissioner Kellie Hotter has raised more than twice as much money as her Democratic challenger Peter Tregillus.

In the District 2 race, Tregillus has raised a total of $18,725 compared with Hotter's $41,689, according to the Colorado Secretary of State. The dollar amounts are from the beginning of their campaigns through Oct. 26 - the end of the most recent filing period - and include in-kind contributions.

About 32 percent of Hotter's 187 contributors gave $200 or more to her campaign, according to the filings. Three individuals gave more than $2,000 to Hotter: Former County Commissioner Bob Lieb, $5,250; Douglas Simonson $2,500; and Karen Langhart, $2,054.

By comparison, only about 9 percent of Tregillus' 130 donors gave $200 or more to his campaign. More than a third of his campaign chest came from the La Plata County Democratic Central Committee.

Hotter had spent about $23,712 as of Oct. 26, largely on radio, newspaper and printing costs.

"I plan on spending every dime; there won't be any leftovers, hopefully," she said.

Tregillus had spent about $13,479 on newspapers, mailings and volunteer events.

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Baxstrom leads fundraising
by Shane Benjamin
Herald Staff Writer

In the District 3 race for La Plata County commissioner, Republican Harry Baxstrom has raised about $5,500 more than his Democratic challenger Wally White, according to the most recent campaign reports.

White had raised $23,116 compared with Baxstrom's $28,625, according to the office of the Colorado Secretary of State. The dollar amounts are from the beginning of their campaigns through Oct. 26 - the end of the most recent filing period - and include in-kind contributions.

About 28 percent of Bax-strom's 160 supporters gave $200 or more. Three individuals gave more than $1,000: Roy Hocker gave $2,000, Jerry McCaw $1,500 and Ruth McCaw $1,500.

By comparison, only about 17 percent of White's 186 supporters gave $200 or more. The only contribution over $1,000 was from the La Plata County Democrats, which gave $6,000 to White's campaign.

At the end of the filing period, White had spent about $14,110 on advertising and printing costs. Baxstrom had spent about $18,278 on newspapers, printed materials and other advertising.

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Schaffer, Udall in a battle for every last vote
U.S. Senate candidates not taking anything for granted
by Joe Hanel
Herald Denver Bureau

DENVER - With just hours left in their U.S. Senate race, Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer are relying on their base instincts.

Both candidates will maintain nonstop schedules on the vote-rich Front Range until Election Day. And they're concentrating especially hard on their power bases. Udall spent Thursday in Denver's black community, and Schaffer rallied Friday in Republican-heavy Colorado Springs.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer campaigns Friday in northeast Colorado Springs.

Schaffer seeks big El Paso win
The stars are still out when the Schaffer campaign gets going on Halloween.

At a busy intersection in northeast Colorado Springs, Peggy Littleton and Vickie Broerman have just unloaded Schaffer and McCain-Palin signs from their cars.

Broerman heads back to the car.

"Are you leaving?" Littleton asks.

"Oh no, I'm just putting more signs out. Are you kidding? This is what we live for," Broerman says.

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