Back then, the seat had been Republican for 30 of the previous 34 years. But a funny thing happened. Until this year. With his exit, potential candidates lined up almost immediately for the 2nd District seat that includes Boulder, Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, and parts of Jefferson and Adams counties. Now, more than a year since Skaggs' announcement and less than three weeks before the Aug. 11 primary, watchdog groups are already describing the November contest as one of the closest nationwide.
Candidates concede it's anyone's race.
And members of the national Republican and Democratic committees in Washington, D.C., are preparing to spend significant amounts of money with the hopes of securing the seat. Party members at county, state and national levels describe Colorado's 2nd district contest as one of only a handful of races nationwide being watched with extreme interest. Beyond that, the race appears to be drawing attention because of the demographics of the district and the potential appeal of candidates who may duke it out in November. It's not the same district Tim Wirth ran for and won. It's not the same district David Skaggs ran for and won.