Ninety minutes after polls closed Tuesday night, Colorado Democrats comfortably maintained their majorities in the state Capitol, though it was too soon to tell by press time if they secured full supermajority status.
Democrats entered Election Day just one Senate seat shy of a supermajority in the Senate to join their margin of control in the House, with an eye on flipping three seats in particular. But their ability to expand their margins into a supermajority in the chamber was too close to call at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Two Republicans running in rural senate districts — state Rep. Marc Catlin and Sen. Cleave Simpson — both led their Democratic challengers. Simpson led comfortably, while Catlin was ahead of Democrat Cole Buerger by roughly 1,700 votes.
The Democrat in a third targeted race, El Paso County’s Senate District 12, was ahead: State Rep. Marc Snyder was ahead of Republican County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf by roughly 1,400 votes.
In the House, Democrats’ control was similarly not in doubt, though Republicans had hoped to flip at least three seats and break Democrats’ supermajority control. Like in the Senate, it was too early Tuesday night to tell how wide House Democrats’ margin of control would be.
Still, Democratic House Speaker Julie McCluskie declared victory Tuesday night.“We are a pro-choice state,” she said, while referring to House Republicans as “lost in the wilderness.”
“We are a pro-public education state. And in Colorado we believe in climate science. And tonight, we are electing a pro-climate action majority.”
In the House, Democratic Rep. Stephanie Vigil, of El Paso County, narrowly led Republican challenger Rebecca Keltie.
Democrats led in other tight races in districts based in Highlands Ranch, Greeley and Pueblo. In Highlands Ranch, Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall — a surprise winner in 2022 — was leading.
Democrat Rep. Tammy Story, another surprise ‘22 winner, was also ahead Tuesday evening, and Rep. Mary Young, wife of state treasurer Dave Young, was up by fewer than 100 votes in her Greeley-based district that was among the closest two years ago.
Jillaire McMillan, who has been the Democratic candidate in House District 19 for fewer than 100 days, was beating former Republican state Rep. Dan Woog by 1,500 votes.