Craig Daily Press / Election 2012

Romney and Ryan headline Red Rocks rally

Move over, U2. Here comes Mitt Romney. The Republican presidential candidate was joined by running mate Paul Ryan, Kid Rock and Rodney Atkins for a rally with thousands of supporters at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Tuesday evening. The Republican ticket hoped to use the famous concert venue to juice up the GOP faithful as early voting continues in Colorado. The amphitheater was the setting for the U2 concert film "Under A Blood Red Sky."

VP candidate Ryan adds more stops in Colorado

Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has added a couple of more campaign stops in Colorado this week.

Obama immigration stance locks in Hispanic support

Elizabeth Alvisar is exactly the sort of voter Mitt Romney needs. A victim of the brutal economy in this swing state, the 30-year-old tax preparer has been out of work for months. She's a foe of abortion and gay marriage, and was naturally drawn to the Republican ticket. But Alvisar has switched her support to President Barack Obama because of his support for legislation known as the DREAM Act. While Democrats failed to get the bill through Congress, Obama in August signed a directive that implemented its key provision — allowing young people brought into the country without authorization as children to avoid deportation if they graduate high school or join the military. "I have a lot of friends who've taken advantage of that opportunity," Alvisar said.

Nightmare election scenarios worry both parties

Here in a county that knows a thing or two about Election Day meltdowns, both parties are fretting over what might go seriously wrong before, during or just after the Nov. 6 presidential election. "More than 50 percent of the provisional ballots are thrown in the trash in this state," Florida state Rep. Mark Pafford told about 80 retirees who gathered for last week's meeting of the Golden Lakes Democratic Club. That's only a slight exaggeration — 48 percent of the provisional ballots cast in Florida in 2008 were rejected. And Pafford's warning underscores anxiety in Florida and other states about legal challenges, ballot problems or bizarre outcomes that could bedevil a race that seems likely to be close — conceivably as close as the 2000 contest that people still quarrel about.

Face to face: Obama, Romney in crackling debate

An aggressive President Barack Obama accused challenger Mitt Romney of peddling a "sketchy deal" to fix the U.S. economy and playing politics with the deadly terrorist attack in Libya in a Tuesday night debate crackling with energy and emotion just three weeks before the election. Romney pushed back hard, saying the middle class "has been crushed over the last four years" under Obama's leadership and that 23 million Americans are still struggling to find work. He contended the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya was part of an unraveling of the administration's foreign policy. The president was feistier from the outset than he had been in their initial encounter two weeks ago, when he turned in a listless performance that sent shudders through his supporters and helped fuel a rise by Romney in opinion polls nationally and in some battleground states. When Romney said Tuesday night that he had a five-point plan to create 12 million jobs, Obama said, "Gov. Romney says he's got a five-point plan. Gov. Romney doesn't have a five-point plan. He has a one-point plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules."

Fewer qualms for gun-rights groups over Romney now

Gun-rights groups perceive President Barack Obama as a threat to unfettered access to firearms. They once had qualms about Mitt Romney, too. But times and circumstances have changed for Romney, the GOP presidential nominee now in tune with the National Rifle Association and similar organizations, whose members are motivated voters. In the tight White House race, every bit of support helps, especially in the most closely contested states and particularly from groups that claim millions of members nationwide. Romney's prior embrace of weapon-control proposals had put him crossways with the NRA and others. These days, Romney is on their good side by opposing renewal of a federal ban on semiautomatic weapons, additional regulations on gun shows and suggested federal gun registration requirements.

State candidates address Moffat County voters

During a debate Thursday at JW Snacks in Craig, candidates who weren't debating had an opportunity to address Moffat County voters and discuss issues important to their races. Colorado House District 57 Rep. Randy Baumgardner, R-Cowdrey, who is running for Colorado Senate District 8, could not make the debate and sent a surrogate to speak briefly to the crowd on his behalf. His surrogate, local resident Rod Durham, read a written speech by Baumgardner that cited his experience as a small business owner, rancher and as a state legislator for rural Colorado, representing issues important to the community. Durham also talked about why he supports Baumgardner.

Baxter, Rankin debate for HD57 in Craig

Education highlighted as primary issue dividing candidates

There’s officially less than a month until the November general election. And with the final push well under way, numerous state and local candidates participated Thursday in one of the last candidate debates of the 2012 campaign season at JW Snacks, 210 E. Victory Way, in Craig. Moderated by Craig Daily Press editor and publisher Bryce Jacobson, the debates concluded with the race for Colorado House District 57 between hometown Democrat Jo Ann Baxter and Carbondale Republican Bob Rankin. The candidates fielded more than 50 minutes of questions on topics ranging from jobs and the economy to energy and natural resources. Baxter and Rankin have each said over the course of the campaign that they share similar views on a good portion of the issues, education not being one of them.

DeRose, Kinkaid debate issues at JW Snacks

It was a festive atmosphere Thursday night, but the mood was no less tense as numerous state and local candidates participated in an evening of debates at JW Snacks in Craig. The night began with a faceoff between Republican Dave DeRose and unaffiliated candidate John Kinkaid,, who are vying for Moffat County Commission’s District 1 seat. Bryce Jacobson, editor and publisher of the Craig Daily Press, served as moderator for the debate. The questions focused on local issues pertaining to economic development, natural resources, energy, governance and county relations.

LIVE TONIGHT: Candidate forum & MCHS football

Live online streams of debates, football game offered

It's a busy night in Moffat County. To start, many state and local candidates are participating in one of the few remaining debates before the November general election. The event, slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. at JW Snacks, 210 E. Victory Way, kicks off with a debate between Republican Dave DeRose and unaffiliated candidate John Kinkaid for Moffat County Commission’s District 1 seat. Following DeRose and Kinkaid will be a debate for Moffat County Commission’s District 2 seat between Republican Chuck Grobe and American Constitution Party candidate Rick Barnes. Both debates will last 30 minutes each, follow no specific format, and feature questions focused on a variety of topics including, natural resources, economic development, governance, tourism, education, and county relations.

VP Debate: Biden, Ryan at each other on everything

At odds early and often, Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan squabbled over the economy, taxes, Medicare and more Thursday night in a contentious, interruption-filled debate. "That is a bunch of malarkey," the vice president retorted after a particularly tough Ryan attack on the administration's foreign policy. "I know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think people would be better served if we don't interrupt each other," Ryan later scolded his rival, referring to Democratic pressure on Biden to make up for President Barack Obama's listless performance in last week's debate with Mitt Romney. There was nothing listless this time as the 69-year-old Biden sat next to the 42-year old Wisconsin congressman on a stage at Centre College in Kentucky. Nearly 90 minutes after the initial disagreement over foreign policy, the two men were still at it, clashing sharply over rival approaches to reducing federal deficits.

Race between Romney, Obama still all about Ohio

It's still all about Ohio. After a strong debate performance, Republican challenger Mitt Romney is intensifying his efforts in the state that's critical to his White House hopes, while President Barack Obama works to hang on to the polling edge he's had here for weeks. Both candidates campaigned hard in the state Tuesday, the last day of voter registration ahead of Election Day, now just four weeks away. "It's time for him to leave the White House," Romney said of Obama at an evening rally in Cuyahoga Falls. "Ohio's going to elect me the next president of the United States."