One of the hallmarks of campaign season in America is the appearance of candidates at state fairs, where they can burnish their Everyman credentials and schmooze with voters.
Joe O’Dea, the Republican Senate candidate in Colorado, recently strutted in a cowboy hat at a livestock auction during Colorado’s fair in Pueblo, as smells of barbecue and farm animals wafted through the building.
Mr O’Dea is trying to unseat Michael Bennet, the two-term Democratic incumbent.
At first glance, the state seems too blue for Mr O’Dea’s barnstorming to make much of a difference. Democrats hold the governor’s mansion, the statehouse and both Senate seats. But Democratic dominance is relatively new in Colorado. Less than 20 years ago Republicans controlled each level of government.