There are only a pair of competitive races this year for the state Capitol, among the 10 El Paso County House and Senate districts that will be on the ballot in November.

El Paso County is so conservative that in all but three races, there isn’t even a Democratic candidate. And one race is so lopsidedly Republican that the Democrat on the ticket has raised only $400. But in the two competitive ones, redistricting resulted voter registration numbers that give neither side a clear advantage.

In House District 17, where incumbent Republican Mark Barker is being challenged by Democrat Tony Exum, there are roughly 12,000 Democrats, 10,000 Republicans and 14,000 independent voters, which means the unaffiliated ones will be the real difference.

It’s the same situation in House District 18 — incumbent Democrat Pete Lee is facing Republican Jennifer George, where there are about 17,000 Democrats, 16,000 Republicans and 22,000 independents.

The lopsided race is in House District 21, where incumbent Republican Bob Gardner is being challenged by Democrat Michael Goldsborough. But there are roughly 25,000 Republicans, while there are 11,000 Democrats.

The races are significant beyond the district boundaries. Republicans have held a one-vote majority in the state House of Representatives, allowing them to block Democratic legislation by a razor-thin margin. And either of these two races could change that.House District  17:

Rep. Mark Barker, R-Colorado Springs, spent nearly a quarter of a century as a Colorado Springs police officer. A former career firefighter is the one taking him on.

Democrat Tony Exum, who spent 35 years with the Colorado Springs Fire Department and retired as a battalion chief, said that like Barker, one of his top priorities will be public safety. Barker, who was a police officer for 24 years and then an attorney with the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office, focused almost all of his energy on the same issue when he was in the statehouse.

In the 2012 legislative session, for example, all six of his bills had to do with crime or police officers. He has been fairly successful — during his two years at the Capitol, he’s gotten 11 bills passed and signed into law, while nine he’s sponsored have died.

Exum said public safety is also one of his top priorities, too, but he’s never held public office. (He ran unsuccessfully for Colorado Springs City Council last year.)

But ask Barker and Exum what they’re interested in, and you’ll get very different results. Both agreed that jobs and the economy are near the top of the list, but the pair had quite different takes.

“Obviously, the budget is the big issue for the state, how the state responds to needs for schools, roads, human services, everything,” said Barker. “For Colorado, the big ones are tourism, agriculture, oil and natural gas. We need to do everything we can to promote those sorts of things.”

Exum, however, said jobs include local and state infrastructure, which include roads, bridges, and parks.

“Those are some of the biggest things, and that kind of goes along with my platform,” Exum said.

Exum talked about a plan called Hire Colorado that formerly used government funds to educate those in need and help get people jobs. Barker said the best way to go is to de-regulate businesses and repeal several laws that were passed under Democrats before 2011.

“The other side tends toward bigger government every time, and I really think he’d go along with his caucus pretty much the entire time,” said Barker.

He named a bill from two years ago that required utility companies to come up with plans to use less coal. That, he said, helped drive many jobs out of state.

“That did a great deal of harm. We could look to repeal it,” Barker said.

Exum said his goal is to “end the gridlock in the state Capitol,” but he also said pointedly that he and Barker have very different philosophies.

He brought up what he calls “voter suppression,” and said it’s a serious problem that anyone who doesn’t vote in an election won’t automatically get a mail ballot for the next election.

“People that didn’t vote in 2010 won’t get a ballot in the mail. That’s the voter suppression,” Exum said. “Most people who voted in 2008 are ready to vote in 2012, and they’re not aware that they won’t receive a ballot automatically in 2012.”

Exum has raised $53,735 thus far in the campaign, and spent $12,043.

The state Democratic Party has given Exum $4,670, the Colorado Professional Firefighters have given him $1,000, and he’s gotten $12,125 from various unions. The remainder of his cash has come from individuals.

Barker has raised $39,463, and spent $10,674.

Some of the interesting contributions: the Realtor Small Donor Committee has given him $4,500, the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association has given him $2,500, and he got $2,000 from an organization called The People’s House of Colorado. As Exum did, he raised the rest of his cash from individuals.

House District 18:

Two lawyers are facing off in central Colorado Springs House District 18, one already in office and another who wants to overthrow him. Both love talking about the economy and jobs, they both say the government is in serious trouble, and they’re both having a great time campaigning and talking with residents.

One is an incumbent Democrat, and the other is a Republican with no political history.Rep. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, said that raising fees in some form or another “has to be on the table,” because the state government is so strapped for cash. If state revenue doesn’t start going up soon, he said, lawmakers might have to start cutting even more from education, health care, parks, and more.

Republican Jennifer George is a local employment attorney who’s running against him.

She holds forth a customary GOP view that government is the problem instead of the solution, and said the best way to move forward is to eliminate as many constraints on businesses as possible. She doesn’t have any particular bills in mind yet, but said “the solutions have to come from the people.”

Lee has been in the state House for two years, and the state Republican Party sees him as vulnerable, given new voter registration numbers. Which is why state GOPers have spent more than $7,000 on political mailers for George.

When asked what Lee thinks of his financial disadvantage — George has raised $110,000 so far and Lee has brought in $94,000 — he said that makes it obvious what he’s up against.

“It tells me how committed Republicans are to winning this seat, that they’re willing to pour that much money into this race,” Lee said.

George has taken in $8,500 from two other Republican groups, while all the rest of her funds have come from individuals, many of whom donated the legal limit of $400.

Lee has gotten almost $20,000 from the state Democratic Party and various unions, and almost $10,000 more from other interest groups such as the Public Education Committee.  The rest of his funds, like George, have also come from individuals.George said the district is “critical.”

“Both parties are saying that. Whoever wins House District 18 could control the whole state,” George said. And the new voter registration numbers put both parties on a much more even footing than before, with Democrats holding the seat for the past 12 years.

Neither George nor Lee, however, think that money will be the deciding factor. What will, they both said, is who people think can do better on the economy.

“His focus was all on big government, more bureaucracy, and nothing to get the economy going,” George said of Lee. “He’s asleep at the wheel on economic issues.”

Lee, however, said constituents love him. And because of his record, he said, people know they can trust him. He added that he has “no opinion” of George, since he’s met her once, last winter.

“When I go up to people’s doors, a lot of time they know who I am, and they thank me for what I’ve done,” Lee said.

Lee has gotten six bills signed into law, while nine that he’s sponsored have been killed.

The legislator’s signature issue, restorative justice, was passed easily in 2011 with bipartisan support. The bill allows judges to require criminals to meet face-to-face with their victims, as a type of therapy for both parties.

That’s not something George said is very important to constituents, however. Most she talks to, she said, have never heard of restorative justice.

George collected $109,632 as of Sept. 4, and  spent $25,475.

Aside from the $7,000 from the Republican Committee, George’s only other big contribution was from the Realtor Small Donor Committee, which gave her $4,500.

Some of Lee’s biggest contributions include $2,250 from the Public Education Committee, $2,125 from the Pikes Peak Fund for Quality Education, and several thousand from the SEIU, the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, and the Electrical Workers Union.

—Contact John Schroyer: 476-4825Twitter @JohnschroyerFacebook Gazette John Schroyer

Volunteers Kris Lane, Dorothy Nelson and Kathleen Haines pack food into boxes to give out to victims of the Waldo Canyon Fire Friday, September 7, 2012. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/The Gazette