I like Bush, but he definitely has played to the center. Instead of nine states with more than 500 delegates at stake, the primaries were restricted to Utah and Colorado, comprising 2 percent of the delegates required for the presidential nomination. People still have an opportunity to express their view and participate in the nomination of the presidential candidate. We've never had that before. Although New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Montana and South Dakota all shunned his idea to band together for a Western primary, Leavitt remains hopeful that some states will change their minds by 2004.
Political analysts remain skeptical.
Some observers had hoped Colorado would play a prominent role in the presidential nomination process. But the departures this week of McCain and Bradley effectively left a two-man contest between Bush and Gore. Bill Compton, director of the Denver Election Commission, said Friday after the polls opened that he expected a low voter turnout. Back in 1996 we had 10 percent turnout. I'm hoping it will be a little higher this time.