Southwest a Key Region for Candidates

[Adelante]

Southwest a Key Region for Candidates

By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

PHOENIX - Hispanics and transplanted white voters are swelling the populations of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, offering hope to both John Kerry (news - web sites) and President Bush (news - web sites) in the hot, new campaign battleground.

Four years after Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) ceded most of the region to Bush, Kerry is taking a multimillion-dollar gamble that he can improve the poor turnout of Hispanics and reduce Bush's share of their votes.

Forced to defend GOP turf, the president is counting on the booming suburbs of Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, N.M., and Denver to keep Kerry at bay. These communities are awash with Republican and independent voters who moved from California or the Midwest in search of cheaper homes, warmer weather and lower taxes.

"If you could somehow slide Utah out of the way and slip Colorado in its place, you would call this our four-corner strategy," Kerry adviser Tad Devine said.

"If we can compete out there effectively, we'll be putting Bush on the defensive," Devine said. "If we could win two or three of them, that could determine the election."

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AP/Yahoo 5/23/04

[NMDemDist2]

1. we are kicking Bush ass in AZ every way we can eom

[Warpy]

2. The fancier burbs around here

..are the only places Bush has much of a chance, and then only among those people who think their jobs can't be offshored.

People in NM do NOT like Bush, and want his Connecticut preppie arse sent back to Houston, where it belongs.

[NMDemDist2]

3. and MCI just closed another big center in ALBQ

gotta be 2000 jobs gone