Denver Democratic Convention A Boon To Hillary Clinton?

Crazy? Not really. We have been arguing that a Democratic convention in Denver would help soften the image of liberal elitism of candidates like Hillary Clinton, and would represent both a tactical and strategic attempt to regain the Mountain West, a region steadily becoming "purple":

If Denver wins the Democratic National Convention over New York City, the potential presidential nominee with the most to gain from a Denver confab is likely one of the people lobbying against it: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York.
. . .
Ironically, many analysts say that of the leading contenders, Clinton might get the biggest boost from a Denver convention. To win, a Democratic presidential nominee must reach out beyond the party's base in the Northeast and on the West Coast. That's especially true for a senator from New York.

Political analyst Jennifer Duffy, of The Cook Political Report, said that Clinton can't count on any big boost from a hometown convention in New York City. She noted that Sen. John Kerry, of Massachusetts, was nominated in Boston, a choice that made it easier for his opponents to paint him as an out-of-touch "Massachusetts liberal."

"My gut tells me (that) going to Denver is better for her," Duffy said of Clinton, and she said the same logic applies to virtually every other top-tier Democratic presidential contender. "If any Democrat, including her, is going to win the presidency, they've got to win a state that Bush won last time, and there are a number of potential battlegrounds in the West, including Colorado."

This is not to say that the attempt would be wholly successful, though it would certainly go further than holding a nominating convention in the liberal bastion of the ultra-blue Northeast.