I wish all political races in the U.S. were like the Senate race in Colorado: a center-left incumbent facing off against a center-right challenger.
The Centrist Independent Voter endorsed John O’Dea in the Republican primary in Colorado. I suspect we would have endorsed Michael Bennet, if he’d had any opposition in the Democratic primary. In fact, Michael Bennet is a more attractive candidate than the three Democratic candidates we have already endorsed.
So what is my recommended endorsement in this race?
What I’d like to see is a record turnout in this race. I want to see Democratic voters turning out in record numbers to prove that the base will support a moderate. I’d like to see Republican voters, also, turning out in record numbers to prove that they will support a moderate non-Trump candidate. Finally, I’d like to see centrist independent voters providing the margin of victory to the winner to prove that focusing on the center is the way to win elections.
The Endorsement
The Board of Governors for the Centrist Independent Voter was similarly conflicted about who to endorse. Some favored the Republican, some favored the Democrat, and some favored endorsing both. In the end, we decided by a narrow plurality to endorse Michael Bennet, the Democrat.
This is not a negative reflection on Joe O’Dea, the Republican. If the Trump-backed candidate had won in the primary, I suspect we would have unanimously endorsed Michael Bennet. If the Democrats had elected a far left progressive in the primary, I suspect we would have endorsed Joe O’Dea.
