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Western Voters Value Independence, Looking Ahead

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May 29, 2008 9:43 am US/Mountain

Western Voters Value Independence, Looking Ahead

Good Question: How Are Western Voters Different?

Reporting
Alan Gionet
DENVER (CBS4) ― The presidential candidates have been crisscrossing the Western United States in the past few days, hoping to court Western voters. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama both were in Colorado. CBS4's Alan Gionet asked the Good Question: How are Western voters different?

"We aren't too big on the environmental issues, out here people seem to be a lot more attuned to that stuff," said one Denver visitor from Indiana.

Locals told CBS they feel independent minded or open minded.


"I think Western voters are a unique combo or economic conservatives, fairly liberal socially, but they still are against taxes, they are against the growth of big government," said Republican state party chair, Dick Wadhams.

"Energy, we talk about the energy economy now, everyone is talking about the energy economy," said Democratic state party chair, Pat Waak.

About one-third of Colorado voters aren't affiliated with any political party. Which means the candidates will be working hard to gain their support.

"This is always the case in Colorado, the unaffiliated voters who kind of swing back and forth, they determine how this state goes every two years," said Wadhams.

"Because, what people are watching is that belt of states that has trended blue in the last few years, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico all have Democratic governors right now," Waak said.

Waak talked about what her party's research has shown about important issues to Western voters.

"Top three issues, health care, education, you know jobs and the economy," said Waak. "The fourth issue everywhere else in the country was national security. Colorado, it was natural resources and the environment."

Westerns also seem to like being on the cutting edge.

"I think it's more an attitude about life," said Wadhams. "I think Westerners by nature see possibilities, they see the future as bright and something to look forward to."

Other issues that are important to Westerns are water and property rights.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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