Western Slope: Swing Region within a Swing State

Tomorrow morning Obama will be holding a rally in Grand Junction--his first visit to our little state since his historic acceptance speech at Invesco field. Obama's choice of location speaks to the Western Slope's importance in determining the outcome of many Colorado elections. The Aspin Daily news looks at this phenomenon:

Both parties point to past wins decided by Western Slope voters when Front Range votes seemed to cancel each other out. Republicans credit Western Slope voters with helping put former Gov. Bill Owens over the top. Democrats credit them for helping elect Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Ken Salazar and his brother Rep. John Salazar [...] Western Colorado is thin when it comes to voters. With some 600,000 people in the 3rd Congressional District, it’s vastly outnumbered by the Front Range [...] Despite its small population, its independent streak can serve as a tie-breaker in elections where Democratic Boulder and Denver counteract Republican suburbs and Colorado Springs.