Barrios believes a well-run campaign, one that takes public opinion carefully into account, will result in an effective and informed legislator.
"Obviously, a seamless campaign will lead to a seamless legislative office," he says. "You know what your constituents think, what they are saying, and you can do their bidding."
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And now, without an opponent, Barrios can concentrate on what matters--managing the matters of his constituents.
"I think it has worked," Barrios says. "We're doing the right things."
And in a state which recently re-elected a Republican governor for the first time since the 1870's, a young, emerging liberal may be exactly the shot in the arm the Democratic party needs.