DENVER -- For many voters gathered in living rooms, churches, schools and auditoriums Thursday, the first debate between President Bush and challenger Sen. John Kerry did little to change minds in a state where unaffiliated voters outnumber Democrats.

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The GOP comprises 37 percent of Colorado voters, followed by unaffiliated voters at 32 percent and Democrats at 31 percent. Colorado now has 2,955,483 voters.

The Kerry supporters gathered at Crest View Elementary School in Boulder hooted and hollered when they thought Bush misspoke or when the split screen showed him discomfited during Kerry's response.

"Much as I expected, I thought Kerry took it home," said Katie Salsbury, 25, of Louisville. "Kerry's answers were strong, and it seemed like Bush was struggling to come up with answers."

Nancy MacMillan, a Republican who drove 170 miles from Walsenburg to attend a rally featuring Vice President Dick Cheney, said she had mixed emotions about the debate. She said Kerry was polished, but appeared insincere, while Bush did a better job addressing the issues.

"He's not polished, but he does the job," she said.

At a bar in Durango, where a partisan Kerry crowd gathered, Bill Fereullo, 31, said Kerry's record doesn't match his rhetoric.

"He says we need armaments for the troops but voted against it, and says that Bush ended diplomatic efforts through the U.N. But there's a point where you have to draw the line. And yes, we sent Afghani troops to find Osama, but we had superior air support, and we needed them to join us for political reasons."

At the same bar, Chica Garcia, 30, a chef, started the evening saying that she'd vote for Kerry although she doesn't think the senator can win.

"Neither one of them are hitting any major points," she said. "They're using a lot of rhetoric but not hitting any points that might convince me."

In Vail, Eagle resident Jay Bryant said "real good debate," though neither candidate earned his vote.

Beverly Springer, a Democrat from Longmont, said she was surprised Bush did not give more specifics "He seemed rather vague." Bush repeatedly talked of the hard work involved, and she felt he was tired. "I expected a stronger showing on his part."

Both campaigns have focused on Colorado's large contingent of unaffiliated voters and its growing number of Hispanics. Bush won easily in 2000.

With Cheney to watch the debates Thursday and Bush stopping in Colorado as recently as Sept. 14, Kerry is expected to make his fifth visit to Colorado next week, this time to prepare for the Oct. 8 debate.

"It's the most important election of my lifetime," said 59-year-old Donna Lyda, a teacher from Centennial, who was in Denver at the Democratic Party's debate watching party.

Cheney In Denver To Watch Debates

Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday it was fascinating to watch the debate between his boss, President George W. Bush, and his rival, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, because it will give voters a clear choice on election day.

Video

Coloradoans React To First Presidential Debate/Cheney Watches Debate In Denver

"On the one hand, John Kerry saying he's committed to winning the war on terror and winning in Iraq, and then he turns around and is unrelently negative," Cheney said at a rally in Denver, where he watched the debate on television.

Cheney said Bush made several good points, especially on the war in Iraq, when he confronted Kerry over his criticism of Iraq's efforts to form a government.

"How can you expect to get respect from our allies when you consistently trash our allies' efforts?" Cheney asked after the debate.

Cheney said voters will have a clear choice in November between Bush, a man who has experience and who is willing to make tough choices, and Kerry, "a wanna-be senator" who wants to seek international support before taking action in Iraq.

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., in town for the Democrat's debate watching party, said Bush showed his arrogance by refusing to admit mistakes in Iraq.

"If the president would change his course now, John would support him and I would support him," Biden told a cheering crowd. "What we're angry about is the opportunities that this president squandered."

"Tonight, Americans saw a little bit of what John Kerry is made of. They saw John Kerry's character. They saw John Kerry's conviction," Biden said.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, said Cheney came to Colorado because he is worried Kerry might win and become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Colorado since President Clinton in 1992.

"One night of watching TV in Denver will not fix four years of wrong decisions," she said.

Nancy MacMillan, a Republican who drove 170 miles from Walsenburg to attend the Cheney rally, said she had mixed emotions about the debate. She said Kerry was polished, but appeared insincere, while Bush did a better job addressing the issues.

"He's not polished, but he does the job," she said.

Cheney was in Denver to watch the debate between Bush and Kerry, demonstrating the determination the Republicans have to win again in a state that both sides say is up for grabs this year.

Before the debate, Cheney told a crowd of supporters that Kerry was again having trouble making up his mind, trying to decide about lighting.

"It's kind of like John Kerry, he was for the lights before he was against them," Cheney said to laughter from the crowd.

Cheney said that voters need to re-elect Bush because he will continue to support American troops in Iraq.

"The key to the success going forward is to have a president of the United States who has the vision, the understanding, and the commitment to a strategy, the willingness to make decisions and then to go forward with that strategy regardless of the political pressures that come to bear," Cheney told the crowd.

Colorado has taken on unusual prominence in the presidential race, with both campaigns making a point of courting the state's large contingent of unaffiliated voters and its growing number of Hispanics. Bush carried the state easily in 2000.

Kerry is expected to make his fifth visit to Colorado next week, this time to prepare for the Oct. 8 debate. Bush stopped in Colorado as recently as Sept. 14.

Part of the focus on the GOP-leaning state, which hasn't been won by a Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1992, is a ballot proposal that would take effect immediately and award electoral college votes based on the popular vote.

In theory, Bush or Kerry could win 55 percent of the votes, but get only five electoral votes. GOP officials have promised to challenge the plan in court if it is approved.

The GOP comprises 37 percent of Colorado voters, followed by unaffiliated voters at 32 percent and Democrats at 31 percent. Colorado now has 2,955,483 voters.