Democrats keep majorities in Colorado House and Senate

The Democrat-favoring partisan balance in the Colorado Legislature will look similar to the previous two years, based on early results from Tuesday’s election, though a couple of races remained too close to call Monday, and Democrats could lose their supermajority in the House of Representatives.

The House is poised to have a 43-22 Democratic majority while the Senate is on track to retain its 23-12 Democratic majority, as of Monday morning. Democrats currently hold 46 seats in the House, and 44 are needed for a supermajority.

House Republicans hoped to flip a handful of competitive seats to chip away at Democratic power. They managed to switch three seats in the House and one seat in the Senate, while Democrats also flipped one seat in the Senate, according to the latest unofficial results.

Lawmakers reconvene at the Capitol in January, when they will face a budgetary shortfall of close to $1 billion. That could threaten spending for programs like Medicaid and will limit any legislation with a high price tag.

House of Representatives

In House District 16, in the north Colorado Springs area, Republican Rebecca Keltie was slightly ahead of the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Stephanie Vigil. On Monday morning, Keltie had a 21-vote lead. The Associated Press had yet to call the race.

Live Election Results

Republican Dan Woog was ahead of Democrat Jillaire McMillan in House District 19, which is north of Broomfield along Interstate 25. McMillan on Friday had about a 2-percentage point lead when The Associated Press called the race, but by Saturday the AP appeared to walk back that status and Woog had jumped ahead by 0.4% points. Whoever wins will replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Jennifer Parenti, who narrowly defeated Woog in 2022.

In the western Jefferson County House District 25, Democratic Rep. Tammy Story defeated Republican Geroge Mumma and will hold on to her seat. That was one of the few competitive races called on election night. Story received 52.2% of the vote.

Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch also held on to his seat in House District 43, defeating Republican Matt Burcham with 51.1% of the vote. The AP called the race Thursday.

In one of the closest state House races, Republican Ryan Gonzales beat Democratic Rep. Mary Young of Greeley in House District 50 to flip the district to Republicans. The AP called the race Saturday.

Senate

Republican Rep. Marc Catlin of Montrose will head over to the Senate next year after he beat Democrat Cole Buerger in Senate District 5. Catlin won the Western Slope seat with 52% and will replace outgoing Republican Sen. Perry Will. The AP called the race around noon on Thursday.

In Senate District 6, Republican Rep. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa will retain his seat. He defeated Democrat Vivian Smotherman with 55.8% of the vote when the race was called Tuesday night.

In Senate District 12, Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs defeated Republican El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerd. The AP called the race Friday. The seat is currently held by Republican Sen. Bob Gardner, so it will flip to the left with a Snyder win.

Republican Scott Bright flipped Senate District 13, however, by defeating Democrat Matt Johnston with 56.3% of the vote. The AP called the race on Wednesday morning. It is currently held by Democratic Sen. Kevin Priola of Henderson.

Democratic Sen. Chris Kolker of Centennial will hold on to his seat in Senate District 16 if his 5-percentage point lead Friday holds. He will have beaten Republican Centennial City Council member Robyn Carnes. The AP called the race Sunday.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated as new results have emerged.