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DENVER (AP) Democrat Andrew Romanoff is hoping for an upset in a congressional district in Denver's eastern suburbs that has been in Republican hands since its creation more than 30 years ago.

The former state House speaker's bid against three-term Republican Rep. Mike Coffman is one of the country's most competitive U.S. House races. It also is the most expensive congressional race in state history.

Romanoff moved to Aurora last year to challenge Coffman. The district has been redrawn to include more Democrats and unaffiliated voters and is now about 20 percent Latino.

Coffman hasn't taken the challenge sitting down. He has been aggressively courting the district's many immigrant groups and has learned Spanish to help communicate with his constituents.

The new boundaries and growing influence of Latino and immigrant voters have driven the race, which will determine who controls a Colorado House delegation that consists of four Republicans and three Democrats. Coffman is the only incumbent facing a real challenge.

The two candidates have raised more than $9 million, according to federal campaign finance disclosures. The national parties and their allies have spent several million more. According to the Wesleyan Media Project, the race checks in at sixth-highest in the nation this year for television ad volume.

Romanoff describes Coffman as an out-of-touch conservative whose background as a staunch opponent of illegal immigration makes him a bad fit for the current district.

"It is very important to me that we have, in this district, a congressman who respects our diversity," Romanoff said last week at the pair's final debate, conducted in Spanish.

But Coffman has softened his immigration tone dramatically since the district was redrawn after the 2010 Census. He's spent weekends learning Spanish and has kept up a tireless schedule meeting with Aurora's many immigrant communities.

Coffman insists he can relate to the district's many newcomers.

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Democrat Romanoff hoping for US House upset