Mid-Term Blue Wave: Inner Mountain West

 I deviated a bit from Mrs. Spore's monocres.  She would have called these 8 states the Rocky Mountain States.  I have chosen to err on the side of a modern appendage that is also more accurate.  Be that as it may, were visiting 8 western states without a coastline on the Pacific Ocean.  They are Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.  There are Senate races in 5 of these states, 3 of which will be easy victories for the incumbents: John Hickenlooper in Colorado, Jim Risch in Idaho, and Ben Lujan in New Mexico.  The incumbents in Wyoming and Montana, both Republicans, are retiring.  This has created two very different outcomes.  In Wyoming, the Republican candidate, Harriet Hageman is a shoe-in to win, while the race in Montana is very volatile with three candidates seeking the seat.  While that race is thought to be the Republican candidate's to lose; I'm banking on a discontent for both parties to lead to a victory for the independent.

Idaho's Senators are the oldest duo, both Republican.  And Both, Senior Senator Mike Crapo, and Junio Senator Jim Risch work hard to be unnoticed.  It is a strategy that a goodly number of Senators opt for.

Montana's Senior Senator is only about to enter his 3rd year in the Senate.  Should the election to the open seat go to the Independent candidate, Seth Bodnar would be the second Independent to join the Senate and would caucus with the Democrats.  

Wyoming's Senior Senator John Barrasso is a member of the current Senate Republican Leadership in the second role of Republican Whip.  The Junior Senator Harriet Hageman is a bit of a character and ascends to the position from her terms as Wyoming's sole member of the House of Representatives.  Her predicessor Cynthia Lummis was well known as a bringer-together-er.  Hageman has oft stated that her role in Washington is to be a fighter, not a consensus builder. 

Colorado's Senior Senator is an unlikely politician who was appointed to the Senate and then liked it and ran on his accord.  He's also a bit bored in the role and ran for the office of Colorado governor, but was defeated in the primary.  I have often watched him give speeches on the floor of the Senate in the evening sessions and I swear to you, his eloqution is such that you'd be forgiven if you'd think he was three sheets to the wind.  The state's Junior Senator was Colorado's governor before winning a seat in the Senate.  This year he's running for a second term that he will likely win.  Senator Hickenlooper often presents himself as the Senate's #1 stoner.  He's a very groovy guy.

While I don't know much about most of the senators from this region, they are not a showy lot by nature, Utah's Senior Senator would be an exception.  Mike Lee loves to speechify on the floor.  He has a very idiosyncratic style and loves to construct an argument in a manner that suggests if you do not see the issue in the same way as he does, you're an idiot.  It's quite fun to watch.  It's Junior Senator is a member of the great quiet unknown.

While neither of Nevada's senators are up for re-election his cycle, Senior Senator Catherine Cortez Masto managed to survive a nail-biter of an election in 2024.  Both she and Junior Senator Jacky Rosen are also background players.

As much as Utah Senator Lee loves the limelight, no one gets more of it from this region than Arizona's Senior Senator Mark Kelly.  Senator Kelly is on everyone's short list for Democratic Presidential candidate in 2028.  A mon avis, the jury's still out.  He's a good guy, and Junior Senator Ruben Gallego is Arizona's first Hispanic Senator, which almost seems incredulous.  No election in Arizona this cycle.

I'm going to go completely off of the reservation now.  New Mexico's Senior Senator Martin Heinrich is in my opinion the most handsome Senator of them all.  He's just so damn good looking.  He's also, if not one of the most, the most MIA Senator on the floor of the Senate.  He pops in for a vote and out he goes.  Junior Senator Ben Lujan is running for re-election and is expected to win easily.  Senator Lujan is far more visible on the Senator floor, a much better schmoozer.   

Index Time

By Demographic Category

GENDER 3 out of 16; current score 19

RACE 3 out of 16 - 19; current score 19

RELIGION 2 out of 16 - 13; current score 13

DISABLED 0 out of 16 - 0.0; current score 0.0

Diversity Index remains the same.

Average Age went from 64 to 62.