WEBVTT SOLEDAD: I'M SOLEDAD O'BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT." THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER DIDN'T JUST USHER IN THE MOST DIVERSE CONGRESS IN HISTORY BUT ALSO CHANGED THE ELECTORAL MAP AHEAD OF THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. STATES THAT WERE ONCE SOLIDLY REPUBLICAN, LIKE GEORGIA AND ARIZONA, COULD BE IN PLAY FOR THE DEMOCRATS. WHILE TRADITIONAL SWING STATES LIKE OHIO AND IOWA HAVE MOVED FROM PURPLE TO RED. ANOTHER STATE THAT HAS SEEN A POLITICAL SHIFT IS COLORADO, WHERE REPUBLICANS SUFFERED THEIR BIGGEST DEFEAT IN MODERN STATE HISTORY. DEMOCRATS NOW CONTROL BOTH THE STATE HOUSE AND SENATE, AND MOST MAJOR STATE OFFICES, INCLUDING GOVERNOR, ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND SECRETARY OF STATE. THE G.O.P.'S WIDESPREAD DEFEAT IN COLORADO LED CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST GEORGE WILL TO WARN IT'S A GLIMPSE OF THE NATION'S FUTURE. COLORADO'S NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNOR, DEMOCRAT JARED POLIS, JOINS US FROM DENVER. SO NICE SO SEE YOU, GOVERNMENT THANKS FOR TALKING WITH ME. GOVERNOR POLIS: A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU, SOLEDAD. SO LET'S TALK FIRST ABOUT COLORADO BEING PART OF THE NATIONAL PICTURE. DEMOCRATS NOW OUTNUMBER REPUBLICANS. THAT'S LIKE THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS THAT THAT'S HAPPENED, AND IT'S A HUGE SWING FOR A PLACE THAT REALLY USED TO BE A VERY RELIABLE REPUBLICAN SO WHAT'S HAPPENED THAT HAS REALLY SHIFTED COLORADO? GOV. POLIS: WELL, COLORADO IS A REAL SWING STATE. YOU HAVE NEARLY EVEN NUMBERS OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS. WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS LAST ELECTION IS THE VOTERS GAVE THE DEMOCRATS A CHANCE TO GOVERN BUT THAT'S ONLY AS GOOD AS WE PRODUCE FOR THEM. SO IT'S ONLY AS GOOD AS GIVING US A CHANCE. SOLEDAD: WHAT DOES IT MEAN THEN FOR 2020 IF THEY'RE JUST GIVING YOU A CHANCE. THAT MAYBE IT MEANS NOTHING? GOV. POLIS: WELL, I THINK IT MEANS IF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IS DONALD TRUMP, HE'LL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE WINNING OVER THE SWING VOTERS OF COLORADO WITH HIS DIVISIVE BRAND OF RHETORIC AND THE WAY HE HAS A SLASH AND BURN POLITICS AND POOR MANAGEMENT STYLE. COLORADO VOTERS ARE SOPHISTICATED. THEY'RE EDUCATED, THEY'RE SAVVY, AND THEY DON'T FALL FOR THE TRICKS AND PROPAGANDA OF SOLEDAD: WHEN GEORGE WILL, WHO I JUST QUOTED A MOMENT AGO, I WAS -- WAS TALKING ABOUT COLORADO, HE WAS REFERRING TO SORT OF THE CHANGES WITHIN THE STATE AND THE VOTING POPULACE THAT THE GROWING NUMBER OF LATINO VOTERS, THE EDUCATION LEVELS OF COLORADO VOTERS ARE THOSE ALSO THINGS THAT YOU THINK BENEFIT THE DEMOCRATS? GOV. POLIS: ABSOLUTELY. AGAIN, WE HAVE A HIGHLY EDUCATED ELECTORATE, WE HAVE A GROWING PERCENTAGE OF LATINO ELECTORATE. AND AGAIN, IT'S A STATE THAT HAS RELATIVELY EVEN NUMBERS OF DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS, ALMOST IDENTICAL. SO IT'S ALWAYS THOSE UNAFFILIATED VOTERS WHICH ARE THE SINGLE BIGGEST GROUP IN OUR STATE. THERE'S MORE OF THEM THAN THERE ARE DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS THAT REALLY GET TO DECIDE WHICH WAY WE GO AND IN THIS LAST ELECTION IN 2018, THEY DECIDED TO GIVE DEMOCRATS A CHANCE. IT'S REALLY UP TO THE DEMOCRATS TO PRODUCE, TO IMPROVE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO AND MAKE THE CASE THAT WE DESERVE ANOTHER CHANCES IN 2020. SOLEDAD: I'VE ROAD A LOT ABOUT WHEN YOU WERE FIRST ELECTED, HOW YOU WERE AN OPENLY GAY GOVERNOR. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING. YOU MEAN, JIM MCGREEVEY, OF COURSE, IN NEW JERSEY WAS AS WELL, SORT OF SERVED OUT THE REST OF HIS TERM OPENLY GAY. IS THIS A MILESTONE NOW, IS IT JUST A TALKING POINT IN THE PRESS? HOW DO YOU VIEW IT? GOV. POLIS: WELL, IT REALLY IS NOT ON THE MINDS OF MOST COLORADANS. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, COLORADANS REALLY VALUE WHAT YOU DO AND YOUR CHARACTER. IT HONESTLY HAS COME UP A LOT MORE IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA THAN IT HAS HERE IN OUR STATE. PLANS TO SAVE PEOPLE MONEY ON HEALTH CARE. OUR TRANSITION PLAN TO RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHICH WE HAVE A GOAL OF 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2040. WE HAVE A PLAN TO REDUCE TAX LOOPHOLES AND THEN USE THAT MONEY TO REDUCE THE INCOME TAX RATE FOR ALL COLORADO RESIDENTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES. SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO. AND THAT'S REALLY BEEN THE FOCUS OF ALL OF THE LOCAL DISCUSSIONS. SOLEDAD: TALK TO ME ABOUT 2020. DEMOCRATS HAVE NOW STARTED THROWING THEIR HAT INTO THE RING AND GETTING SOME PUBLICITY FOR IT. WHO DO YOU THINK -- WHO DO YOU LIKE? WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD STEP IN AND WHO SHOULD NOT GOVERNOR POLIS: YOU KNOW, SOLEDAD, IT'S SUCH A BIG LIST. YOU KNOW, I FOCUS ON OUR TO-DO LIST AND GETTING THINGS DONE IN COLORADO. SOLEDAD: OH, THAT'S SUCH A POLITICAL DODGE. FOR 28 MINUTES AND YOU'RE YOU'VE BEEN GOVERNOR HERE. HOW ARE YOU DOING THE GOVERNOR DODGE? COME ON, YOU MUST HAVE, OF ALL THE DEMOCRATS YOU KNOW WHO ARE GOING TO JUMP IN, AND THAT'S -- IT'S GOING TO BE A LIST OF ABOUT 20. THERE IS ONLY GOING TO BE A HANDFUL WHO COULD BEAT DONALD TRUMP. IN 2020. WHO DO YOU THINK THE TOP FOUR ARE? GOVERNOR POLIS: YOU KNOW, WHAT I EXPECT THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS WILL LOOK FOR. SERMON WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IS WHO'S GOING TO BE THE BEST CANDIDATE TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY. BUT REALLY, ELECTABILITY IS GOING TO BE FIRST AND FOREMO