KING: Colorado's nine Electoral College votes were a big help to the Obama campaign back in 2008, but can he count on them in 2012? Colorado's Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper is with us tonight. Governor, if the election were today, would President Obama carry Colorado?

GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), COLORADO: It would be very close. I think it would be a -- it is hard to say if it was an election today. I think it would depend on who his opponent was.

KING: Who would be the strongest Republican? Who would you worry about the most?

HICKENLOOPER: Oh I think, you know, Colorado is a very pragmatic state and after elections, people really focus on getting stuff done. We're not terribly partisan. There are almost as many Independents so somebody more pragmatic, someone, probably Mitt Romney I think would be a tough opponent in Colorado.

KING: Your predecessor, the Republican, former Republican Governor Bill Ritter says a repeat of 2008 is very unlikely. I'd say he's looking at a high wire act here. You say it would be close. Do you basically agree with the former Republican governor?

HICKENLOOPER: I'm not sure it would be a high wire act. You know I think part of what he's trying to do now is lay out a real, you know, kind of a nonpartisan approach of taking measures that have been promoted by Republicans and Democrats, you know cutting payroll taxes, investing in infrastructure, and just trying to get people to work together and I think that sells in Colorado. People, you know, we have almost as many as -- almost as many Independents as we do Republicans and, you know, almost as many Democrats as Republicans, it's almost one-third, one-third.

KING: But if you look at public opinion poll --

(CROSSTALK)

KING: -- among Independents, the president's handling of the economy among Independents has dropped dramatically. It has dropped among everybody, but especially among Independents. Do you see that out in your state, people who backed Obama last time saying Governor, this isn't what I bought?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, there is certainly a lot of discouragement with the economy and some of that rubs off on the president. But I think a lot of those numbers were based on some weeks ago. We'll have to see. What people want, really want is some solutions, right? Some effort and they want less red tape. They want, you know, to free up some money in small businesses. They want a more entrepreneurial approach to the economy. That's all the stuff that President Obama was talking about today.

KING: I want you to listen to part of what he was saying today. He was talking about the specifics of his policy. He was also making a political appeal, trying to get people in your state, and anyone listening across the country to help out, essentially trying to gin up the grassroots machine. Let's listen to a bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I'm asking all of you, I need you to lift up your voices. Not just here in Denver, but anybody watching, anybody listening, anybody following online. I need you to call, e-mail, tweet, fax, visit, tell your Congress person, unless it is the Congress person that is here, because they're already on board, tell them you're tired of gridlock, you're tired of the games. Tell them the time for action is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: I spent a lot of time in your state. You were the mayor back in 2008, the mayor of Denver. And the Obama campaign had a very impressive grassroots organization there, students, Latinos, traditional Democrats, Independents involved. How much has it frayed, if at all, in your view, since 2008? Can he flip a switch and turn it on?

HICKENLOOPER: I don't think he can pull a switch. But, again, I think that that grassroots constituency responds to ideas and appeals like he made today. I think that sense of gridlock, right, Colorado is a place where we -- you know once the election is over, everybody works together. We passed our budget. We have a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, but we passed our budget which was a tough budget with 80 votes out of 100, right, 80 percent of the -- of both parties came together to pass a budget.

They're -- people are frustrated by the gridlock and I think that, you know if Congress can't find some compromises and move forward they're actually doing -- they're doing a service to the president. The president -- it makes the president look like he's doing everything he can to try and get, you know, get things going and that Congress is just digging their heels in for partisan politics.

KING: Well you mentioned your situation in Colorado; here in Washington we also have a Republican House and a Democratic Senate and a Democratic president. Two weeks after he sent his jobs bill up to Capitol Hill saying in your state the time for action is now. As a Democratic governor, how would you explain to fellow Democrats why the Democratic Senate led by the Democratic Leader Harry Reid has not brought the president's jobs bill to the floor and essentially dared the Republicans to have that debate?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, you know, that's the part of politics that is over my head. You know I spent too many years running restaurants. So I'm probably the wrong person to ask there. My guess is that they're trying to frame the discussion of, you know, why can't we find a compromise in Congress and, you know, I think the Democrats are trying to, you know, really kind of push the Republicans, so much of what is in the jobs bill was earlier supported by various Republicans that they -- I think they're trying to bring that out and say, hey, if you want -- you wanted to cut payroll taxes before, we want to cut it now, let's get it done.

KING: Your state is one of the great laboratories heading into 2012. Because in 2008, again it had been a red state, Obama turns it blue. Then in 2010, two Democratic House seats go Republican in your state as part of the big Republican wave and we're all asking when we look at these swing states, what is going to happen in 2012. What is your sense among the electorate? Are they happy with the choice they made in 2010? And does that make it tougher for 2012 or is the pendulum going to swing again?

HICKENLOOPER: Well again like I said, you know, it is about equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans and Independents. I think they're unhappy with the economy. And, again, some of that always rubs off on the president, right? The president is the leader. But I think most people in Colorado don't care as much about Republican or Democrat as they do about our country.

And what they really care about, you know, the whole thing with the debt ceiling where people lost faith in our government, not just in -- not just here in the United States, but all around the world and suddenly you know the stock market goes into a tail spin, people in Colorado hate that, right? I mean there are certain common factors all across the country, right? We hate waste. We want people to work together. This -- the gridlock that we see in Washington is, I think, frustrating for everyone.

KING: Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado, sir, appreciate your time tonight. We'll keep checking in as the campaign plays out.

HICKENLOOPER: You bet.