I think that the ‘Rats victories in the west were more a rejection of the Big Government conservativism of Bush than a trend to the left. The Californians who moved to the Rocky Mountains played a role. But the west tends to be more of a libertarian conservative than a traditional conservative.
“But the west tends to be more of a libertarian conservative than a traditional conservative.”
Huh? Look at the elected official from CA, OR, and WA:
Governors: One RINO and two Dems
Senators: Six Dems
Representatives: Large majority of Democrats - the wacko type like Waxman, Inslee, Waters, Woolsey.
The west is not even close to libertarian conservative - it is blatantly liberal.
In Colorado in particular outgoing Governor Owens may have been as big a drag as Bush.