DENVER - Illegal immigration never materialized as a major factor in the campaign, despite a heated special legislative session and Republican attempts to use the issue.
A day after Democrat Bill Ritter won the governor's race, his campaign pulled back the curtain on its strategy.
At one point, Ritter's rival, Bob Beauprez, had a 41-point advantage over Ritter in polls asking who is tougher on illegal immigration, according to data released by Ritter's campaign. But voters' overall impression of Ritter continued to improve throughout the campaign. When Beauprez's campaign aired ads attacking Ritter's record as Denver district attorney, it barely dented voters' positive impressions of Ritter.
"(Immigration) was a big issue for a certain group of people who were never going to vote for us anyway," said Greg Kolomitz, Ritter's campaign manager.
Instead of focusing on single issues, Ritter traveled the state and tried to connect with people on their overall vision for Colorado.
"Voters weren't looking at a single issue. They were looking at who's going to lead the state better," said Ritter's pollster, Dave Beattie.
In July, legislators convened for a five-day session to pass anti-illegal immigration laws. The centerpiece law set up tight identification requirements for people seeking welfare benefits. The Legislature also put two immigration measures on the ballot. They both passed, but they never created much debate.
Referendum H will withhold tax breaks from employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, it was passing 51 percent to 49 percent. Referendum K instructs the state to sue the federal government for failure to enforce immigration laws.
It was passing 56 percent to 44 percent.
"I think it was an issue, and we dealt with it, and voters realize we dealt with it," said House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder.
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