New blood turns Colorado to political battleground

Associated Press

NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

Updated: Oct 2, 2012 1:51 PM

DENVER (AP) — Not too long ago Colorado was political flyover country, known for skiing and football — and being a reliable vote for the Republican presidential candidate.

It's become a focus of national politics in the past three elections. This year, the state is a hotly contested battleground in the race between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. And it hosts the first debate between them on Wednesday in Denver, a city that is the third-busiest political ad market in the country.

In 2010, the U.S. Senate campaign here became the most expensive of that cycle. And in 2008, Obama put Colorado firmly on the political map by accepting his party's presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention here.

So what has changed over the years? Young people moved in.

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