Voters Decide to Keep Colorado General Assembly in Democrat Hands
Along with New Mexico, Colorado forms a ‘Blue Island’ in a Sea of Red
As we correctly predicted back in October, Colorado Democrats have “retained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives with ease, with no major changes in either chamber.” Standing apart from nearly every other state in the nation that shifted by some percentage toward the GOP, Colorado voted to kept our state Senate and House of Representatives in Democrat hands.
Sure, critics can nitpick by correctly pointing out the House Democrats lost their supermajority in that chamber, but while winnowing down margins on committees from two or three votes to only one is certainly important, the Dems still hold a commanding control of the chamber with a solid 43-22 majority. (Two races were especially close, and recount operations will be commencing in the first week of December, but such results seldom change.) Julie McCluskie was voted by her peers to remain the Speaker of the House, and Monica Duran stays on as the Majority Leader. Republicans once again voted Paul Lundeen of Monument to be their Minority Leader.
Considering how well Republicans did in every state in the nation - with Trump taking every single swing state - these meager pickups for the Colorado GOP seem disappointing in such a year of change. It sure didn’t help ‘Team Red’ that their state party infrastructure is, and has been, in shambles for years.
Over in the ‘upper chamber,’ Democrats retained their control of the Senate with the same 23-12 split that they now enjoy. James Coleman of Denver was elected to the office of President to replace the term-limited Steve Fenberg, and Robert Rodriguez will remain as the Majority Leader. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs will stay in the position of Minority Leader.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Colorado Republicans though, as Rep. Gabe Evans upset Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo in the 8th Congressional District by less than 2,600 votes! (We predicted Caraveo would actually win by just 1%, so you can quibble with our losing forecast at a later date!) As a bonus for the GOP, Jeff Hurd beat the well-funded to Adam Frisch in Lauren Boebert’s former CD #3 seat, so the Colorado congressional districts are now split 4-4.
Two Colorado Senators Win…and Promptly Quit
Discussions Underway to Change the Current System
In a strange new trend, two state senators were victorious on election night and have plans to resign in just seven weeks! Chris Hansen (D) of Denver and Janet Buckner (D) of Aurora were both unchallenged and set to keep their seats for the 2025 legislative session but are now planning to officially resign in January. You might ask, “So there will be a special election, right?” Uhm, no. Most citizens don’t realize that Colorado law requires the empty Senate or House seat be filled by a vacancy committee organized by the respective political parties. These
committees are often made up of fewer than 35 members. So, as you might guess, the lobbying of these committee members by potential candidates has now begun in earnest. This trend has led some insiders to begin a conversation about reforming the vacancy system. Indeed, a full quarter of the current General Assembly gained their seat through a vacancy committee! Doesn’t seem very democratic.
What’s Next at the Colorado State Capitol?
As we enter the middle of the decade, we welcome a host of new leaders to the capitol.
Committee Assignments
In early December we should learn which elected officials will be serving on which standing committees. With leadership in both chambers largely remaining the same, we shouldn’t expect wholesale changes, but after each election musical chairs always get scattered about the room, so it’s always interesting to see who gets the seats they desire.
Moderation, Hopefully
The last few years of bitter, partisan, rancor have really taken a toll on members, lobbyists, and the capitol staff. A few elected officials even resigned or refused to run for office again because the work environment has become so odious, but a number of ultra-partisan lawmakers lost their primaries last June and moderates did fairly well on election night, so we are crossing our fingers for a more civilized, friendlier General Assembly in 2025.
And We Thought a Billion Was Lot of Cheddar!
Budget Woes Worsen in the Centennial State
We reported last month that the state was facing a budget shortfall of ONE BILLION! It’s sad to say, but the budget writers were wayyyy off! It’s now estimated that Colorado state government is short a record-setting $1.5 billion, so suffice to say any legislation introduced in 2025 with a fiscal note will be facing immense scrutiny.
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Our team will keep you up to date on Colorado political events as the 2025 Legislative Session draws closer. Day #1 is right around the corner, - Wednesday, January 8th. Enjoy your holiday!