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Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

So its not a surprise that it took less than a week for two Democrats to declare their intent to run for the U.S. House seat held by Ed Perlmutter once the Democratic congressman made official his own bid for governoron April 9.

Now that theyre in the race, however, the question facing state Sen. Andy Kerr, state Rep. Brittany Pettersen and anyone else who wants to capture Colorados 7th Congressional District is how Perlmutter has managed to dominate the seat for so long.

Is it because of Perlmutters well-known brand of retail politics? Or is it because the seat skews Democratic in terms of its electoral history and voter registration?

The answer will say a lot about whether a Republican has a chance to win in November 2018 and how far to the left Kerr and Pettersen will need to go to win the Democratic primary.

A lot of people say it only became safe because of Ed, said Chris Kennedy, a state lawmaker who ran Perlmutters 2014 campaign. I think thats partially true, but I would also say the district has grown more Democratic.

Over the course of his 10-year congressional career, Perlmutter has held dozens of meetings with constituents at grocery stores in his district; one reason he chose a grocery in Golden in which to announce his run for governor.

Geographically, the 7th District is a suburban seat that sits on the north and west borders of Denver and includes towns such as Thornton, Lakewood and Perlmutters home of Arvada. The median household income is just above the statewide average $62,000 versus $61,000 and its major employers include aerospace companies and the federal government.

Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace have nearby facilities, and the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood is home to the offices of more than two dozen agencies, from the General Services Administration to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The political math leans left, in part a function of its nearby neighbors: the liberal strongholds of Boulder and Denver. Nearly 35 percent of active voters registered as Democrats last November, compared with about 27 percent for Republicans. In keeping with state trends, however, the biggest bloc of voters in the 7th District is independent at more than 37 percent.

The X factor of independents could give a Republican candidate an opening, though the partys nominee would have to buck recent election results. Perlmutter has won by double digits in each of his last three races since the seats boundaries were redrawn, and Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in the 7th District last year by 12 percentage points, more than double her statewide victory of 5 percentage points.

Its now a solid Democratic seat, said David Wasserman, a political analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. He added that Republicans could have more trouble if Trump doesnt improve his approval ratings, which nationally have hovered around 40 percent. Open seats tend to be great pickup opportunities as long as you are not saddled with an unpopular president. But in this case, Republicans are, he said.

In a nod, perhaps, to this dynamic, Kerr and Pettersen have begun their congressional campaigns with a strong message to the Democratic base. Both candidates supported the filibuster for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, despite the fact that Colorados Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet did not.

We need to stand up and fight at every opportunity that we have, Pettersen said in an interview, naming resisting Trump as one of her top priorities. And that means every tactic. I think that Democrats need to see us fight like hell.

Kerr didnt mention Trump by name in his announcement speech, but he framed most of his speech as a rebuttal to the new Republican administration.

I know there are millions of us who are not afraid or confused, who will stand up for our schools and the environment, for our seniors and our jobs millions who believe in the promise of equality and recognize how far we still fall short, he said. We are going to fight.

The two rivals, likewise, are positioning themselves as the heir to Perlmutters legacy.

Pettersen and Kerr support a single-payer health care model and have expressed a willingness to vote for someone other than Nancy Pelosi as the Democratic leader in the U.S. House. Perlmutter likes the idea of a nationalsingle-payer system, and last year backed an upstart challenger to Pelosi.

I think we need to make sure we are listening to new voices, Pettersen said.

I certainly heard from a lot of people this last election that change is needed, Kerr said.

Perlmutter is staying publicly neutral in the race, but Kerr didnt mind touting their close ties, including a nod to Nancy Perlmutter, the congressmans wife, at his rally. Kerr ran Nancy Perlmutters campaign to lead the local teachers union, and both are teachers.

Pettersen is engaged to Ian Silverii, the executive director of ProgressNow Colorado, one of the states most vocal liberal groups:

Other Democrats may still enter the race, including state Sen. Dominick Moreno of Commerce City.

Republicans see hope in this rivalry. Though no major GOP candidate has yet declared for the race, Republican officials in both Colorado and Washington said a bruising Democratic battle could be a boon to the partys chances.

While Democrats are bogged down dragging each other to the left in a wide-open primary, Republicans are energized to flip this vacant seat in a competitive district, said Jack Pandol of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC is focused on recruiting candidates who are a good fit for the district to put it in play in 2018.

One name that has come up frequently is Libby Szabo, a Jefferson County commissioner. She spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year and previously served as the assistant GOP leader in the Colorado House, before expressing frustration and taking an appointment to the county post. Szabo did not return a message seeking comment.

Other possible candidates include two former Perlmutter rivals: Don Ytterberg, the former Jefferson County GOP chairman, and Ryan Frazier, a former Aurora City Council member who came in fifth last year in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Two potential contenders not interested: former state Sen. Mike Kopp and state Rep. Lang Sias, who both live in the district.

More here:
As battle to replace Ed Perlmutter takes shape, Republicans eye ... - The Denver Post