Colorado's readiness to look beyond race this election is evidenced by the estimated 100,000 people who showed up to support Barack Obama at Civic Center Park Sunday. So how ironic that on that same day the Denver Post reported the “race issue” could sway voters?
Speculation about the “Bradley Effect” has left some pundits to conclude that the only way Obama could lose at this point is if voters are lying to pollsters about which candidate they intend to vote for, saying they support Obama, but turning around to vote for John McCain. The “Bradley Effect” was coined after the 1982 gubernatorial race in California, where Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles, lost despite leading by double digits in pre-election polls.
But for Colorado voters, the presidential ticket is not the only question on the ballot dealing with race. They are also being asked to consider Amendment 46, which would eliminate race and gender preferences in public education, hiring and contracting. The latest polling taken this month by Quinnipiac University showed Amendment 46 likely to pass by 63 percent to 21 percent.
While Colorado is still considered a swing state, Shawn Coleman, a spokesman for the 46 campaign and a delegate to this year's Democratic National Convention, said it is only consistent that Coloradans who turn out to support Obama should also support Amendment 46. “Obama is the embodiment of judging a case on its merits,” he said. “If he wins it's because he's the best person for the job. Forty-six is just one more step towards that more perfect union. People who don’t support it are showing that they don't have confidence in the people of Colorado.”
Skeptics, Coleman said, should find that confidence in the droves of voters who showed up at Sunday’s rally.
"We judge people based on their merits," Coleman, who is black, added. "That is a Colorado value.”