Blog #3 Electoral Circumstances
Colorado's 7th Congressional District
Last Election
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[hide]U.S.
House, Colorado District 7 General Election, 2016
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Party
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Candidate
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Vote %
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Votes
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Democratic
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 Ed Perlmutter Incumbent |
55.2%
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199,758
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Republican
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George Athanasopoulos
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39.8%
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144,066
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Libertarian
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Martin Buchanan
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5%
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18,186
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Total Votes
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362,010
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Source: Colorado Secretary of State
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2018 Election Outlook
Heading into the 2018 election, the incumbents for the seven
congressional districts of Colorado consist of four Republicans and three
Democrats. Each of the incumbents has also announced plans to run for reelection.
Among these incumbents is Democrat Ed Perlmutter from the 7th District.
Currently, there are no challengers to Perlmutter in the primary election. This
is not particularly surprising given the status of the six-term House
incumbent. There have also been no Republican candidates to formally declare to
run against Perlmutter in the 2018 general election.
Current Prediction
I anticipate that Ed Perlmutter will have a relatively safe path
to reelection in 2018. This conclusion is based on two primary reasons. First,
Ed Perlmutter has gained a highly popular reputation within the 7th
District. Living his entire life in Jefferson County, Perlmutter is seen by
voters as one of their own. Perlmutter continues this strong relationship by
consistently traveling from Washington D.C. back to Colorado to stay in touch
with his constituents. Second, the 7th
Congressional District has been realigned and reapportioned to a point that it
would be difficult for any Republican to win. The Democratic leaning district
gives Perlmutter a distinct advantage in 2018.
Campaign Finance
Status
Ed Perlmutter is affiliated with the official PAC known as “EDPAC”.
Below is the 2016 PAC summary data of EDPAC.
Select a Cycle:
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$241,500
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Total Spent
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$224,258
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Begin Cash on Hand
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$18,848
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End Cash on Hand
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$36,089
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Debts
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$0
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Date of last report
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December 31, 2016
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Beginning in 2012, EDPAC received an increasing number
of contributions throughout each election. I anticipate that there will be even
more contributions for the 2018 election than in 2016. Contributions are also being
made for the 2018 election through the Perlmutter for Colorado website.
Major Issues
In the 2016 election, there was a total of nine ballot
measures—two legislative referrals and seven initiatives. Issues on the ballot
included minimum wage, healthcare, tobacco, assisted death, and direct
democracy. https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_2016_ballot_measures
This an indication of the types of issues which are important
to Colorado voters. Some issues that are specifically important to the 7th
District, according to Congressman Perlmutter, are gun control, infrastructure,
aerospace engineering and space program development and student debt.
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