Pence Tells Overflow Crowd In Loveland It's Game On In Colorado
LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) - Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential candidate, held a rally in Colorado on Wednesday at a time when the presidential campaigns are very busy and giving Colorado plenty of attention.
New national polling numbers are showing a tighter race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and Colorado is one of only a handful of states that the outcome of the election will likely hinge upon.
Pence says it's game on in Colorado.
"We're leading in two different national polls and the Denver Post just reported it's all tied up in Colorado," Pence told the overflow Colorado crowd.
"Until very recently it seemed like he was out there fighting all on his own, but now this movement is coming together. Colorado is coming together. We're going to make Donald Trump the next president of the United States of America."
The path to victory remains narrow for Trump, but Colorado factors into almost every Election Day projection map showing him having a chance to win.
"How critical is the state of Colorado?" CBS4's Shaun Boyd asked Pence on Wednesday.
"Colorado always looms large in our national elections but I think particularly so this year and I think Donald Trump has a message that's really resonating with people here in Colorado -- people that believe in economic freedom, people that believe in rugged individualism," he said.
Pence, who many consider Trump's olive branch to conservatives, appealed to party that's deeply divided.
"The time has come for us to say with one voice to our fellow Republicans 'It's time to come home,'" Pence told the crowd.
But Republicans alone aren't enough to carry Trump to victory. Pence's concluding remarks in his Wednesday speech were aimed at those who are still on the fence but leaning toward Trump.
"Whoever's the next president, that president will likely set the course of the Supreme Court for the next 40 years, that's for real, and if you cherish our Constitution, if you cherish the liberties that are enshrined there you'd better think long and hard about that," Pence said.
If Trump is able to pull out wins in two or three bigger states like Ohio, Florida and North carolina, the race will come to a collection of states with a smaller number of electoral college votes like Colorado.
A University of Denver/Crossley Center for Public Opinion poll showed Clinton and Trump tied in Colorado with 42 percent of the vote. That tie remains, but at a lower percentage (39 percent) when third party candidates Gary Johnson (Libertarian) and Jill Stein (Green) are factored in.
