critical counties jefferson county colorado
Critical Counties — Jefferson, Colorado: The growing suburbs
01:26 - Source: CNN

Editor’s Note: Critical Counties is a CNN series exploring 11 counties around the country that chief national correspondent John King has identified as key in the 2016 election. These counties could play an outsize role in the election and offer an instructive example of what the political parties have accomplished. Jefferson County is the eighth county in the series, which runs through Election Day. Explore the other critical counties.

If Donald Trump is going to win Colorado, he is not going to be able to do it without the state’s populous suburbs. But in recent elections, those very places – like Jefferson County, Colorado – have leaned toward the Democratic Party.

Jefferson comprises a solid chunk of the Denver metro area. It is home to a slightly smaller Hispanic population relative to the state and a whole lot of beer. Its job picture has been looking good, and its population is relatively well-educated.

The statistics underscore the competitive nature of the county, but they also show a place tilting somewhat favorably toward Hillary Clinton.

Colorado is a unique state, and there is plenty to keep in mind when you look at it on election night. This state holds its elections by mail, and it engages in some direct democracy. Perhaps most notably, it puts issues such as marijuana legalization directly on the ballot.

All that means voters have plenty on their minds as they vote from the comfort of their own homes and that ground game is all-important. The Clinton campaign’s ground game efforts have outpaced Donald Trump’s, and much fanfare was made over a 12-year-old taking a significant role in the Republican’s efforts in Jefferson County.

Here are some of the fundamentals and points of interest to keep in mind as votes make their way to election officials in Jefferson County.

Population

Beers for years

Beer earned a brief mention above, but the nation’s drink of choice plays a major role in Jefferson County. Coors, among the most-recognized domestic beer brands, hails from the city of Golden. Members of the Coors family are prominent Republicans, with Pete Coors throwing his suds behind Trump (who, it should be noted, does not drink alcohol)

But as craft beer has boomed in the country, it has found a special home in the Denver metro area. Several budding micro beers hail from Jefferson County.

Representation

Diana - (DeGette)

Popularity

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