Granby , Colorado ( CNN ) -- In my American Quest I am visiting states firmly for President Barack Obama ( Illinois ) , those strongly for Mitt Romney ( Utah ) and some , like my next train stop , which ca n't make up their minds . Colorado , is one of these `` undecided '' states , which have become crucially important . A look back shows Republicans won eight out of the last 10 presidential elections here , and in an interesting twist , Colorado also picked the election winner in eight of those 10 elections too . The exceptions of course were the Democrat victories of Bill Clinton in 1992 and Obama in 2008 . In other words , Colorado stays Republican until it sees a Democrat it likes , and then that man wins the election . With a large percentage of voters who classify themselves as independent , this year Colorado also has 6 % of the electorate who say they are undecided -- the independents and the undecided will make the difference here . Amtrak train : No better way to connect with U.S. voters . Behind these numbers is a state with changing demographics , bringing in new voters . Denver bristles with IT , media and healthcare industries , which have shifted parts of the state to the political center . There is the rising number of Latino voters , who could be crucial if they cast their ballot . And , of course , there are the traditional rural , ranching and agricultural communities that remain the stalwarts of the Republican backbone . So today Colorado is absolutely split . Of those who have expressed a preference , roughly 47 % are going for each candidate and the rest are undecided . But here is the crucial point . Undecided does not mean apathetic . According to Patrick Brower , the former publisher of Granby 's local paper , Colorado 's 6 % undecided will vote ; they just have n't decided for whom . When I tweeted this fact at the weekend ( @ richardquest ) there was a barrage of tweets back . `` How could anyone be undecided this close to the election ? '' was a common thread . After so much debate and discussion , surely everyone has made up their minds ? Not here ! Honest Abe 's 19th century wisdom for 20th century problem . On the C Lazy U ranch in Granby , I met one political commentator from the right , one from the left and one in the middle . And I immediately understood the predicament . Colorado is a frontier state ; hardy , rugged , mountainous , with winters that are not for the faint hearted . But it is also a fair state , with a liberal tradition on social issues ( a proposal to legalize marijuana is on the ballot paper this year ) . In 2008 they liked the idea of change , and gave Obama a 9 % victory . Now that undecided element is in play again and there is confusion about which way it will move . According to liberal columnist Felicia Muftic 's research , `` undecideds '' eventually stay with the incumbent . Better the devil you know . Her conservative rival columnist William Hamilton told me exactly the opposite . He quoted research showing `` undecideds '' ultimately go with the challenger . An Amish life : America without sound bites . I was none the wiser , until my political pundits had a rare moment of agreement . The undecided voters would choose on issues of character , and on how the candidates behaved . With no single hot-button issue here , Colorado will go with the man they feel speaks to their frontier spirit and values . Which man is that ? Ah , there you have me again , and that is because of the economy and the demographics . Colorado is changing and it is simply too close to call . What I can say is that we should keep a close watch on this state in the weeks ahead , especially as it bodes for the presidency . After all , on the last two occasions that elections saw the state go Democrat , the party failed to repeat the result four years later . In 1992 it did n't matter ; Clinton won elsewhere . In 2012 , Obama needs this state to ensure his second term . I must return to the train . The California Zephyr is almost boarding at Granby . It will take me 11 hours to reach Romney 's safe , solid state : Utah , my next stop on this American Quest . American Quest begins in Obama country .
CNN 's Richard Quest is in Colorado , a state that leans Republican but went for Obama in 2008 . He is in the U.S. as part of American Quest , a series on the election airing from October 29 . Quest talks to local pundits and get a sense of how the `` undecided '' will cast their votes . Quest : Colorado will go with the man they feel speaks to their frontier spirit and values .