Parties organize, canvass in Colorado ahead of November election

DENVER (KDVR) — There are fewer than 100 days left before the general election in November, and the two major political parties are working to get Colorado voters on board with their candidates.

It is a pivotal time for both parties as they look to win not only the White House but both chambers of Congress. For now, they are taking starkly different approaches.

In scorching hot temperatures, Republicans like Steve Panchenko, Battle Station Director for the NRCC’s office in Colorado’s eight congressional district, are on the ground, trying to garner support for Republicans running for office this fall.

“I know it’s going to take a lot of hard work,” Panchenko said. “I know that we’ve got a lot of people that are engaged, but this time feels a little different, right? ’22 was hard. It was hard to get people motivated. It was hard to get the message out perfectly. But this time our party is unified. We’ve got the volunteer base and we’ve got a really great candidate. Gabe Evans is going to carry this.”

Colorado’s 8th District sees big election spending

Millions are being poured from both sides into Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, where Evans is vying to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo .

Democrats won the race by just over 1,600 votes last time around. Republicans are opening a battle station in Thornton to focus on winning that race and others down the ballot.

“We want to make sure that we are as coordinated as possible. That’s why out here, we have two other candidates with us. And every single day we are out there with other candidates,” Panchenko said. “We want to make sure that we’re doing all we can to connect these folks and make sure their volunteers and our volunteers know what to say, where to be and how to say it.”

Republicans say they are capitalizing on Democrats not having their ground game up and running for the presidential race. But Democrats say they are already getting those plans set so they will be ready as soon as their presidential ticket is solidified.

The Democratic National Committee told FOX31 the party has spent $470,000 in Colorado so far, with an emphasis on winning over younger voters.

While Republicans are physically working the ground, Democrats have been taking to virtual fundraisers and rallies to bring in millions in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House. Colorado Democrats are holding a grassroots Zoom call for Harris on Monday night.

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