Rocky Mountain Media Grok

The West Gaining Power in Politics

By Courtney Lowery, 9-26-06

The headline across USA Today reads, "In West, GOP no longer a shoo-in." Reporter Tom Kenworthy starts with the vulnerability of Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin and then digs right into the changes taking place in Montana's political landscape to show how the traditionally Republican Rocky Mountain West is generally showing some swingability this election cycle. Kenworthy's piece muses on several reasons for this, including Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report telling him Democratic gains in the West could be directly related to population gains in the West, "a big chunk of it Hispanic." (This statement is only bolstered by a Associated Press story today about the start of a new free Spanish-language newspaper in Southwest Idaho that the AP reports, signals "the growing power and presence of Hispanics in the region.")

But, in the several races Kenworthy highlights as scares for the Republicans, the ideological shift in strategy among Western Democrats is what stands out. That list includes Republican Sen. Conrad Burns (who is also featured in the Orange County Register today as "at risk") vs. Jon Tester in Montana, Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez vs. Bill Ritter in the Colorado gubernatorial race, U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, a Republican, vs. Democratic Attorney General Patricia Madrid in New Mexico and Cubin vs. her Democratic challenger Gary Trauner in Wyoming. In the USA Today story Cubin says she is confident in winning her race, but elsewhere today, she's quoted in an AP story from Wyoming's Mead Gruver saying she's "nervous" about the contest.

As with Tester and Gov. Brian Schweitzer in Montana, Trauner too has a Democratic governor to follow in filling the new Western Democrat thing. He says in Kenworthy's story, "I'm not a typical Democrat. I'm pro-gun and pro-business." Earlier this week, it was Jon Tester with what one blogger called the "most quintessentially Western Democratic expression" he'd ever heard. Tester said at Sunday's debate with Burns, "With things like the Patriot Act, we'd damn well better keep our guns."

Meanwhile, in Utah, the political story of the day revolves around not a new congress member, but a new congressional seat altogether. As the Daily Herald reports today, the creation of a 4th district in the Beehive state is already becoming a partisan issue. If the fourth district is created, Alan Choate reports, all of Utah County would be in the 3rd district, possibly making it even more Republican heavy. The Salt Lake Tribune has already come out in an editorial saying the plan is worth pursuing, but other outlets, including the Daily Herald disagree. In an editorial today, the Herald says while the plan seemed a win for everyone at the start, it's now "very likely unconstitutional."

While all of this national attention on the region's politics showcases the many (unanswerable, really) questions floating around about which direction the West is going and why, it also highlights the power the region is gaining in national politics -- on both sides of the aisle. For once, eyes are on the region and in the coming months, I have a feeling we'll really see which foot Western leaders hope to stand on.

Correction: This story has been corrected to show Wyoming's Barbara Cubin is in the House of Representatives.

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