Wadhams emphasized the role of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper in the state as well. Panelists talked about the governor’s high approval rating — among the highest in the country.

Specifically, Wadhams predicted that he would probably not spend a huge amount of political capital supporting President Barack Obama but would likely pass on a reelection bid in 2014 in favor of a presidential run in 2016.

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There was one thing all panelists agreed on: The Romney-Obama battle for the Centennial State will be extremely tight, even as the Romney campaign has some catching up to do.

“One of the mythologies [before 2008] was that Colorado was a reliably red state … it’s always been a very competitive state, because of that slice of the electorate: the independents [and] the Republican women of Jefferson County,” said Wadhams, who conceded that Democrats had more field offices in the state but said the Romney campaign has had less time to prepare due to the GOP primary.

“You won’t be able to buy a television spot in the state come mid-October,” added Cecil.

And while the issues like the economy, Medicare and the deficit will no doubt be addressed during the debate, panelists took the time to address the specific policies making waves in the state.

At the same time as voters in Colorado head to the polls to cast a vote for president, they will also be addressing ballot questions on abortion and “personhood,” as well as the decriminalization of marijuana — so it is likely that the two presidential candidates might be asked about them.

The marijuana issue “is hugely popular with younger voters. … If they come out strongly and the Obama campaign doesn’t do anything to antagonize them on this issue, they could have a real impact,” Kamin said. “There’s a huge push online to get youth voters energized around that proposition, those are the exact same voters that had a lot of enthusiasm for the president four years ago.”

Dee Dee Myers pointed out that Colorado is a state with more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks locations.

Cecil also said that “choice and contraception” would be a major issue in the state, especially with the “personhood” amendment up on the ballots this November.

Though two “personhood” initiatives seeking to define human embryos as persons have already failed, the state will go to the ballot boxes a third time on the matter, which could affect the composition of voters turning out at poll sites.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified the subject of comments made by Dick Wadhams. Wadhams was referring to former GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes.