A party-line vote on the economic stimulus package was the first big test for three new members of Colorado's congressional delegation, and there could be political risks depending on economic conditions between now and the 2010 election, analysts said.

Two Colorado Republicans - newly elected Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, and second-term Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs - opposed the bill, joining every Republican in the House.

Coffman, who also voted against a smaller Republican version, said the proposed new spending would drive the federal budget deficit through the roof, without a guarantee it would prevent "a rapid descent into a severe recession."

"If this doesn't work - and I don't think it will - it's a disastrous vote," Coffman said. "This literally could hurt us in the short run and could hurt us in the long run."

Five Colorado Democrats voted for the bill, including first-term Reps. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, and Betsy Markey, D-Fort Collins, along with Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden, and John Salazar, D-Manassa.

"Almost all the money is money that's going to go immediately to stimulate the economy and shore up the states," DeGette said Wednesday.

"We are in uncharted territory here for the severity of the economic crisis. These are times that call for the parties pulling together."

Instead, House Republicans voted in lock-step opposition, potentially raising the stakes for the 2010 election.

Political analyst Jennifer Duffy of The Cook Political Report, said there are risks for both parties.

"The Democratic vulnerability is voting for it and it not working," Duffy said. The Republican risk, she added, "is to vote against it and have it work."

Colorado pollster Floyd Ciruli downplayed the political consequences of a vote for the stimulus package now because, unlike the so-called "bailout" for financial institutions last year, the public appears to support congressional action now. However, he warned that if the economy doesn't show clear improvements, "Obama and Democrats start to take on water."

Depending on what happens, one side or the other is likely to remind voters of Wednesday's vote in the House and the U.S. Senate vote on a similar package in coming days.

Duffy said the biggest risk is for newly-appointed Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who has virtually no voting record and therefore will be defined by every "yea" or "nay" that he casts before 2010.

"In a lot of ways, there's more peril for Bennet in this (upcoming) vote because he has to appeal to a much broader constituency, and he's not very well defined - and I would say, not at all defined," Duffy said.

Bennet was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

In the House, Democrat Markey has the most at stake with her yes vote, since she holds a conservative-leaning district that Republicans will heavily target in 2010.

She said the consequences of doing nothing were severe and said the legislation - including an estimated $2.9 billion targeted for Colorado - would help create or save 70,000 jobs in the state over the next two years.