Happy day after Election Day, Colorado!
This midterm election is turning out like any other in Colorado. Candidates in tight races bite their nails, journalists guzzle their third cup of coffee, and armchair politicos rabidly refresh Twitter as we all try to figure out the same thing: What exactly happened last night?
Some races are still too tight to call, including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s reelection bid, the representative for the new 8th Congressional District and several ballot measures (we’re looking at you, psilocybin mushrooms).
But in the meantime, take a deep breath and enjoy these photos as we give you the visual highlights from another hectic Colorado election.
UPDATE NOV. 10, 2022: Yadira Caraveo has won the 8th District. Proposition 122 passes, legalizing “magic mushrooms.”
The podium of the Colorado Republican Party stands bare after a watch party at the Doubletree By Hilton in Greenwood Village.
Starting next year, the GOP will not hold any statewide elected offices. And the party will have to wait until 2026 before they get a chance to change that.
Additionally, Republicans were on track to fall even further into the minority in the Colorado Senate. A Republican majority in the Colorado House is also largely seen as out of reach for the foreseeable future.Democrats have never held this level of sustained power at the state or congressional levels in Colorado.
Voters cast their ballots at Reelworks in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.
The Secretary of State’s office is reporting a 50.57% voter turnout for the midterm election, with 1,933,129 ballots cast and 3,822,916 active voters in the state.
Anna Jo Haynes, center, and others listen to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s victory speech Tuesday night at the Art Hotel in Denver.
The Democratic senator beat Republican challenger Joe O’Dea and will return to Washington for a third six-year term.
If he serves his full term, he will become Colorado’s longest-serving U.S. senator in the century since state legislatures stopped selecting senators.
Denny Behrens and his wife, Glynda, watch their phones in disbelief as early election results from the 3rd Congressional District roll in, showing Democratic challenger Adam Frisch leading incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.
The Silt Republican was expected to easily roll over Frisch, but by 2 p.m. Wednesday, Frisch was leading by 2,201 votes. It’s still too soon to call the race.
Gov. Jared Polis, with Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, speaks to the crowd after winning the election at the Art Hotel in Denver.
Colorado voters overwhelmingly reelected Polis, endorsing his job performance over the past four years and soundly rejecting claims by his Republican opponent, University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, that Polis had led the state wildly astray.
Polis hugs his husband, Marlon Reis, and family after the victory speech.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as your governor for the last four years and it will be an honor to continue to serve as your governor,” he said. “I will never stop fighting for the future and the state that we love.”
People vote at the polling station inside Summit County’s South Branch Library.
Democrats blocked Republicans from gaining a foothold of power in the state Capitol by holding onto their majority in the Colorado Senate.
“We kept the majority in everything in Colorado,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Morgan Carroll said during the party’s election event at Art Hotel Denver. “We’re winning in places we have never won before.”
House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat, announced at a watch party that Democrats would maintain a majority in the chamber for the next two years.
House Republicans, who were hoping to chip away at the Democratic majority, acknowledged their poor showing in a written statement.
“Once again, Colorado voters showed an independence streak, bucking national trends that saw big wins for conservative Republicans in other states,” said Roger Hudson, deputy chief of staff for the House GOP caucus. “Though some state House races may not have finished the way we wanted, others certainly did, we in the Colorado House Republican Caucus continue to stand with the Colorado families who put their trust in us.”
Vaughn Diaz, 10 (right) and his father, Luis, track national election results at the Doubletree By Hilton in Greenwood Village.Control of Congress hung in the balance early Wednesday as Democrats showed surprising strength, defeating Republicans in a series of competitive races.
Patti Frisch brushes her hand on son Adam Frisch’s face while watching the updated election results alongside Mel Frisch at a watch party in Aspen.
Win or lose, former Aspen city councilman Adam Frisch shocked both Boebert and the national Democratic establishment that gave him little chance of succeeding.
Boebert prays with supporters during a victory party held at the Warehouse Bar and Restaurant in Grand Junction.
Just before 10 p.m., Boebert emerged from a private room and told supporters she was confident all the late ballots that remained to be counted would be Republicans who would put her over the top.
The Colorado Sun asked Boebert if she would accept the results of the election if they are not in her favor. She refused to answer before being escorted away by a handler.
Lizzie Cohen drops off her ballot at the Pitkin County Government building alongside her voting buddy, Nala, in downtown Aspen.
Several housing measures passed in the high country, with Aspen voters approving a new tax on short-term rentals, Snowmass approving a workforce housing measure and Dillon approving lodging taxes.
Poll worker Dianna Nilsson assists with registered voters at Summit County’s South Branch Library.
Colorado voters passed several statewide ballot measures, including:
- Proposition FF, clearing the way for a new school meals program funded by cutting tax breaks for the wealthy.
- Proposition 121 and GG, which will respectively slash the income tax rate and require the state to more prominently display detailed information about how citizen-initiated ballot measures changing the income tax rate would affect Coloradans.
But they also shut down a few, including:
- Proposition 124, putting a halt to any plans by large out-of-state liquor-store chains that were eyeing Colorado for a quick expansion.
Proposition 126, which would have allowed third-party services like Instacart and DoorDash to deliver alcohol to customers, was heading toward defeat.
A voter at the booth inside the Silverthorne Pavilion in Silverthorne. Voters were split on several big statewide ballot measures, making them too close to call at this time. Those include:
- Proposition 122, which would allow healing centers where people could consume psilocybin mushrooms.
- Proposition 123, which would set aside nearly $300 million each year in existing tax revenue to help increase affordable housing units across Colorado.
- Proposition 125, which would allow wine to be sold in grocery stores.