Congresswoman Boebert gave a speech and fundraiser in La Plata County, on the Southern edge of Colorado. She lost the county in 2020, 57% to 42%. These are the people that came to hear her.
They appear to be a mix of working folks and small businessmen plus some ranchers. Rural people in farming do not see any advantage to the Build back Better plans of Biden. They only care about federal support of farming, roads and transportation. The Democrats from the county would look exactly the same.
The support for Trump does not seem to be anywhere near the same as in Texas. Texas has a huge population and whites still determine the politics. In the SW, the native American population as well as Latinos have some say, as they are a good portion of the population. Here the mix is only almost 90% white. But the 10% Latino is a significant number. They have been seeking an identity for decades. Some as business owners identify as Republican. Some of those businesses are not that well to do, and it may be tough balance to work with wages, taxes and all. This is not Silicon Valley. Minimum wage is all some of them can afford for their employees. Many are probably on Obamacare as the small end of business (not national chains) provide no benefits.
So the business people are probably Republicans, but not Trumpers. They get along with their local Democrats. Durango, the major city, is a tourist attraction. Tourist towns tend to keep politics out of the public view. Mearby there is a national park, Mesa Verde.
The past of the county included mining as an industry. Land use is mainly agriculture and tourism. There is no oil here, so it is never going to look like Texas.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.