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The Forgotten State Of Southern Colorado

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Photo: Election Road Trip Highway 160 4 | Goemmer Butte
Goemmer Butte, (pronounced "gimmer") is a landmark near La Veta in Huerfano County, Colorado. It's named for the nearby Goemmer Brothers ranch and is made up of trachyte and breccia. The area is full of ranches, artists and retirees who are often at odds politically — but many residents say they're more than happy to put differences aside in order to be good neighbors.

Neglect can be a powerful political force. Southern Colorado spent a century mostly voting for Democrats, but in 2016 many countries in the region voted for President Trump. It was the first time some had supported a Republican in decades. The reason many voters cited was a sense of feeling forgotten by state and national politicians too focused on urban and suburban corridors.

Reporters Nathaniel Minor and Allison Sherry recently visited Southern Colorado as a part of CPR’s election road trip series. They talked to voters about whether they feel like politicians are listening now--and what that could mean for November and beyond.