Election Day Surprises in the Schizophrenic West; the Interior West Goes for Bush While the Coast Goes to Kerry, but On the Ground, It's More Complicated Than 'Red' Vs. 'Blue'

Summary

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In a highly publicized race for the U.S. Senate, [John Salazar]'s younger brother, state Attorney General Ken Salazar, defeated Republican Pete Coors for the seat held by Democrat-turned-Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Salazar won despite numerous visits to Colorado from [George W. Bush] and his associates, who stumped for Coors, the chairman of Coors Brewing Co. Salazar's campaign slogan: "Fighting for Colorado's land, water and people."

Democrats had some success elsewhere in the Interior West, as well. Nevada Sen. Harry Reid won a third term in the U.S. Senate, and is positioned to take over as minority leader from defeated South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle. [Mark Udall]'s cousin, Tom Udall, will represent Santa Fe and much of northern New Mexico for another two years. Democrat Raúl Grijalva won more than 60 percent of the vote to claim Arizona's 7th Congressional District, which covers much of Tucson and southwestern Arizona. And while Democratic candidate Scott Matheson Jr. lost the race for Utah's governor, his brother, Jim Matheson, won a second term in the U.S. House - despite the fact that Republican state legislators had redrawn the boundaries of his district in 2002 to make it more rural and more Republican.

Most governments simply don't have the money, so they'll likely waive the land-use rules that have hemmed in urban sprawl and protected farms and forests, says Bob Clay, president of the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association and a chief planner for Portland. "There's a lot of chaos," he says. "We're trying not to panic."

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Election Day Surprises in the Schizophrenic West; the Interior West Goes for Bush While the Coast Goes to Kerry, but On the Ground, It's More Complicated Than 'Red' Vs. 'Blue'

Take a look at the ubiquitous election map dividing the nation into "red states" that leaned toward George W. Bush and "blue states" that leaned toward John Kerry, and you might think that the Interior West is all Republicans. Aside from the West's three coastal states, the region is a sea of red. It's enough to send Democrats and many environmentalists reaching for a stiff drink.

To some degree, the map is accurate. Idaho, for example, kept its title as the most Republican state in the nation, with the GOP holding 80 percent of the state Legislature. Utah gave Bush his highest victory margin of any state - he won 71 percent of the vote over Kerry's 27 percent - and elected a new Republican governo...

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