Colorado Democrats on track to retain state House, Senate majorities
Julie McCluskie, the Democratic speaker of the Colorado House, speaks during the Colorado Democratic Party watch party at Number 38 in Denver on Nov. 5, 2024. (Andrew Fraieli for Colorado Newsline)
By the end of Election Day, Colorado Democrats in the state House and Senate could confidently say they retained majorities, but it was too early to tell how wide that margin will be as key races were not yet called, and vote totals are preliminary.
Democrats entered the election with a 46-19 supermajority. Republicans hoped to crack that by flipping a handful of seats that were close in 2022. By the end of the night, Democrats led in four of the five competitive races and declared victory in the other.
"All across this state we see examples of Democrats showing up, representing the people and winning yet once again. Our continued majority is an accomplishment we should all be proud of together," House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Denver Democrat, said at a watch party Tuesday night. "We will reject the Republican agenda that continues to criminalize abortion, eliminate mail-in ballots, roll back climate legislation, and repeal gun violence prevention."
McCluskie said House Republicans are "lost in the wilderness, trying to find their way out."
The closest race as Tuesday night turned to Wednesday morning was in the Greeley-based House District 50. Democratic Rep. Mary Young led Republican Ryan Gonzales by just 14 votes as of 12:10 a.m., with The Associated Press reporting 55% of votes counted.
In House District 16, Democratic Rep. Stephanie Vigil of Colorado Springs led Republican Rebecca Keltie by about 400 votes. The Associated Press reported that about 58% of votes had been counted.
Democrat Jillaire McMillan had a stronger lead over her Republican rival, Dan Woog, in House District 19. She led by about 1,700 votes with 67% of votes counted. The district is north of Broomfield along Interstate 25 and includes parts of northeast Boulder County and parts of southwest Weld County, including Erie and Firestone.
Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall was leading Republican Matt Burcham by a little over 1,700 votes in House District 43, based in Highlands Ranch. About 91% of the vote had been counted.
In House District 25, Democratic Rep. Tammy Story of Evergreen beat Republican George Mumma. Story had about 52.9% of the vote when the AP called the race at 11:11 p.m.
In the Senate, Democrats hope to gain one more seat to create a supermajority. They currently have a 23-12 majority.
Republican Sen. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa won his race against Democrat Vivian Smotherman. The AP called the race at 11:24 p.m. when Simpson had 55.3% of the vote.
Republican Sen. Marc Catlin of Montrose led his Democratic opponent, Cole Buerger, by about 4,300 votes early Wednesday morning with 79% of the votes counted.
In Senate District 12, Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs was ahead by about 1,500 votes over his opponent, Republican Stan VanderWerf, with 58% of the vote counted. The seat is currently held by outgoing Republican Sen. Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs and Democrats hope to flip it.
Republican Scott Bright was ahead in Senate District 13 by about 5,000 votes, with 60% of the vote counted. That district is currently represented by Democratic Sen. Kevin Priola of Henderson.
Democratic Sen. Chris Kolker of Centennial had a wide lead over Republican Robyn Carnes in Senate District 16. Kolker led by nearly 4,800 votes with 71% of the vote counted.
