What did the recalls really mean? Maybe it’s not so clear.

By
Mike Littwin
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We know what the recalls did — they nearly got Republicans control of the Colorado Senate. And they scared the hell out of every Democrat in the nation who favors even modest gun control legislation.

But do we know what they really mean?

Did Dudley Brown, the NRA and the other gunnies simply target vulnerable Democrats and make it look as if gun legislation held the balance in statewide elections?

Or do the recalls portend doom for Dems (see: Hickenlooper, John) in 2014?

Brown told the Washington Post he would use the gun laws “as a sledgehammer” to “destroy” Democrats next November. But he might have been a little quick on the trigger (if sledgehammers had triggers, anyway).

A new survey by Public Polling Policy says Coloradans are actually more likely to vote for Hickenlooper — 41 yes, 29 no, 28 no difference — for signing the guns laws. And when asked if Ken Buck’s A rating with the NRA makes it more or less likely to vote for him, 29 say more likely, 38 less likely, 30 no difference.

Does this change the conventional wisdom? Not likely, but it’s worth considering.

Two more points: Though PPP is a Democratic-leaning outfit, the survey included 34% Dems, 35% Republicans and 31% independents.

And the numbers reflect what just happened in the Virginia governor’s race, in which Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat, came out in favor of similar laws passed in Colorado and won his race. As I wrote the other day, Virginia is much like Colorado, with its own gun culture and as a purple state trending blue.

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