Colorado Democrats fall short of state Senate supermajority, maintain dominance in House

Colorado Democrats fell just short of a supermajority in the state Senate, but maintained their dominance in both chambers, as voters largely reelected the status quo at the state Capitol.

Democrats entered the election one senator shy of the 24 seats needed for a two-thirds majority in the Senate — and failed to pick up the additional seat. That kept the party from a rare level of political power that would have allowed Democrats to override gubernatorial vetoes, refer constitutional amendments without Republican help, and expand their edge on key committees that shape and advance legislation.

Their shot at a supermajority vanished as Republicans held on in rural swing districts and flipped the suburban seat of outgoing Sen. Kevin Priola, a Henderson Democrat who was a Republican when he was elected.

On Thursday morning, The Associated Press called the decisive race denying Democrats supermajority control — the Senate District 5 contest on the Western Slope, where state Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, defeated businessman Cole Buerger, a Democrat from Glenwood Springs.

At 11:49 a.m., with 95% of the ballots counted, Catlin led with 52% of the vote. He’ll replace Republican Sen. Perry Will, who was elected to the Garfield County Commission.

In the northeastern Denver suburbs, Republican businessman Scott Bright defeated Brighton City Councilman Matt Johnston, a Democrat, to replace Priola in Senate District 13. Bright had 56% of the vote to Johnston’s 44% as of 12:43 p.m., with 86% of votes counted.

Democrats had won 20 Senate seats and held slim leads in three other races that remained too close to call Thursday afternoon.

In the House, Democrats appeared on track to retain their supermajority.

As of 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, they had won 42 seats to the Republicans’ 19, and led in three other races that remained too close to call. It takes at least 44 seats in the House to assemble a supermajority.

State Rep. Bob Marshall, a Democrat from Highlands Ranch, defeated Republican activist Matt Burcham to keep his seat in Douglas County’s District 43. With 95% of ballots counted, the incumbent Marshall led 51% to 49% at 12:53 p.m. Thursday, when the AP called the race.

Two other incumbent Democrats faced razor-thin margins, as Republicans sought to flip their seats.

In House District 50, Republican Ryan Gonzalez led by fewer than 200 votes over Rep. Mary Young, a Greeley Democrat, in a rematch of their 2022 race. Gonzalez had 50.4% of the vote to Young’s 49.6% with 89% of the vote counted as of 12:43 p.m.

In Colorado Springs, Democratic Rep. Stephanie Vigil maintained a slim lead Thursday in House District 16 over Republican challenger Rebecca Keltie. Vigil had 50.6% of the vote to Keltie’s 49.4% with 81% of ballots counted as of 2:06 p.m.

While Democrats needed a net gain of one seat to achieve a supermajority in the Senate, Republicans needed to flip at least three in the House to eliminate the Democratic supermajority in the lower chamber. Instead, it appeared lawmakers would return to the Capitol in January with much the same makeup that voters elected in 2022.

Democrats’ success in Colorado was an outlier across the country, where voters shifted to the right in races up and down the ballot.

Their continued dominance of Colorado politics could embolden the progressive left to push for a more aggressive agenda on a range of issues like worker and tenant rights, the environment and social services. And there will likely be rising pressure from their base to do so as a bulwark against a second Donald Trump presidency.

But while Democrats maintained their large edge in both chambers, their ability to reshape the state government next year could be limited. Lawmakers will return to a state Capitol in January with a pressing need to slash more than $1 billion in spending, cuts expected to fall heavily on Democratic priorities like Medicaid and education.

And although Republicans remain out of power in the legislature, conservative groups outside the Capitol once again showed their strength in influencing state fiscal policy.

Voters this week approved Proposition 130, a conservative-backed measure directing the legislature to spend an additional $350 million on law enforcement instead of social services. That came on the heels of conservatives using the threat of two budget crisis-inducing ballot measures to extract property tax cuts from the Democratic majority.

Here’s where some of the other key races stood around 2:30 p.m. Thursday:

State Senate

• Sen. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa cruised to re-election against Democrat Vivian Smotherman, a Durango farmer, to keep Senate District 6 in Republican hands. Simpson had 56% of the vote as of 12:56 p.m.
• Rep. Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, held a narrow lead over El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf in Senate District 12 — a seat currently held by term-limited Republican Sen. Bob Gardner. Snyder had 50% of the vote to VanderWerf’s 47%, with Libertarian John Angle picking up the remaining 3% in a potential spoiler role. The AP had not called the race with 81% of votes counted.
• Sen. Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, was ahead in his bid for reelection in Senate District 16, leading Centennial City Councilwoman Robyn Carnes 52% to 48% in the south Denver suburbs. With 79% counted, the AP had not called the race.
• In District 21, incumbent Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, held a slim lead over Republican Frederick Alfred, a chemical engineer. Michaelson Jenet led 51.6% to 48.4%, with 82% reporting.

State House

• Democrat Jillaire McMillan led former state Rep. Dan Woog 51.5% to 48.5% in a House District 19 seat held by Democratic Rep. Jennifer Parenti of Erie.
• In House District 25, state Rep. Tammy Story, D-Evergreen, defeated Republican George Mumma, a former police chief, in western Jefferson County. With 99% of ballots counted, Story won 52% to 48%.
• In House District 58, Republican Larry Don Suckla defeated Democrat Kathleen Curry to fill the seat of Republican Marc Catlin, who ran for state Senate. Suckla led 54% to 46% with 96% of votes counted.
• Democrat Katie Stewart led 51.4% to 48.6% in House District 59 over Republican Clark Craig to fill the open seat of Rep. Barbara McLachlan, a Durango Democrat. With 92% of votes counted, the AP had not called the race.