This page is an undergraduate assignment at Davidson College
Colorado 2004--The Race for the Senate
Pete Coors V. Ken Salazar
It has been argued by political theorists that incumbency status
has the greatest bearing on the outcome of an election while open seat elections
prove to be the most uncertain (Shea 2001). In the 2004 Colorado Senate race,
it seems that these two rules are being put to the test more than ever as
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell steps down and two of his protégés
duel for his seat (“Ken Salazar’s Story” 2004). This political
battle receives considerable attention not just because its an open seat
election but also because of the candidates themselves. Both candidates,
Republican
Candidate Pete
Coors who is CEO of Coors Brewing
Co. and current Attorney General/Democratic
Candidate Ken
Salazar have extensive
political ties, are known by the majority of constituents and have clear
support from many diverse groups. The reality/difficulty for these candidates
is that they cannot change their backgrounds and must strategically highlight
the positive aspects while being on-guard for criticism. With this website,
we will examine candidate background as a campaign context and explain how
this aspect of a campaign can directly affect a race.
Although candidates cannot change their background, they must
appeal to their constituents in as many ways as possible in order to win
the election (Shea
2001). In Colorado for example, Democratic candidate Ken Salazar has appealed
heavily to Colorado’s Latino population because of his Hispanic heritage.
One writer comments on Salazar’s public perception: “they see
somebody like them: a descendant of the Mexican settlers who move there centuries
ago, a survivor, a striver (“Election 2004” 2004, 1).” With
an 18 pour cent Latino population, Salazar is trying to gain as many Hispanic
votes while not dismissing other potential votes (“Salazar’s
Hispanic” 2004, 1). In fact he is one of the few candidates whose campaign
website is both in Spanish and English (“Ken Salazar for U.S.” 2004).
On the other hand he states that he is not running as a Hispanic candidate
but rather a candidate that happens to be Hispanic. (“Salazar’s
Hispanic” 2004).
While Salazar appeals to the Latino population, Republican candidate Pete Coors has been trying to appeal to the majority of constituents who in general are Republican. His ties to Coors brewing Co. has given him a name and face recognition that few political novices could only dream of (“Coors beer ads” 2004). Moreover, he gains all of the benefits of being a political novice such as not having a record to defend which his opponent indeed has (Shea 2001). The only political record that Coors’ opponents have tried to attack is his business policies, which is to many people is of limited merit (Florio 2004). Coors like his opponent Salazar has used his background as a platform for his political campaign. In fact two of his major endorsements, from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and former U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp, are business related (Florio 2004).
It is without a doubt that in November, the race for the Senate will be a close race but the true victor will be the candidate who has mastered the art of appealing to the majority of constituents by using any means necessary--race, ethnicity, profession, social class, whatever it takes. Atleast with political campaigns, we are asked to rexamine the time-honored phrase: "It's not where you come from but where you are going."
See Works Cited Works Cited
See Davidson College Pledge
© Davidson College, 2004, Department of Political Science, Davidson
College, Davidson, NC 28035
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to Jacquin Gilchrist
Created: 9/10/2004. Last updated: 9/10/2004.
Political Science 318 - Strategy
and Ethics in Election Campaigns
