Headlines — November 9, 2022

November 9, 2022

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Gubernatorial Race Decided Early

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has been re-elected for a second term. NBC News and the Associated Press called the race less than an hour after the polls closed. Shortly before 8 pm on Tuesday evening, Polis addressed his supporters and said his victory protects people’s freedom.

“free to love who you love, free to decide your own family’s future, in our amazing state of Colorado and a Colorado for all, because in Colorado we offer something truly special, the idea that your choices belong to you and no one else.”

During the campaign, Polis was criticized by his opponent Heidi Ganahl for rising crime rates in Colorado.

During his acceptance speech, Polis identified tackling crime as a priority for his second term, along with the climate crisis and the economy.

“We’re going to continue to make our communities safer by investing in law enforcement and preventing crime before it happens. We’re going to continue to aggressively tackle clean air and climate change, preparing for drought and wildfires, while creating good paying jobs and making Colorado a safer place for everyone.”

Before he first ran for governor in 2018, Polis served five terms in Congress.

US Senator Michael Bennet Won His Re-Election Bid And Will Now Serve A Third Six-Year Term

Bennet’s Republican challenger, Joe O’Dea, conceded the race just after 8 pm on Tuesday.

Bennet said healthcare and immigration are two major issues he will work on in his next term.

Regarding Colorado, he said we have to secure the future of the Colorado River and the American West and he said people’s economic future needs to be secured.

“When people lose a sense of opportunity for themselves and their families, that’s when inevitably, in human history, somebody shows up and says, ‘I alone can fix it. You don’t need democracy. You don’t need the rule of law. You should expect your public sector and your private sector to be hopelessly corrupt, hopelessly bankrupt.’ That is the dark vision that Donald Trump ran for president on. That is the dark vision that he won on. And tonight, Colorado is rejecting that vision for our country.”

Michael Bennet currently serves on the Finance Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

The Democrats Held Strong In The State-Wide Races In Colorado 

Secretary of State Jena Griswold will serve a second term. 

Griswold is the youngest Secretary of State in the country and has been a vocal critic of conspiracy theories about election deniers, something she pledged to continue to fight against.

“In my next term, we will continue to protect and expand every Coloradan’s right to vote, we will push back on the election conspiracies that threaten our nation and we will continue to make Colorado’s elections the gold standard in America.”

Attorney General Phil Weiser also won a second term. In his victory speech, he referred to his family’s story of promise and optimism. His mother was born in a Nazi concentration camp.

“And in my family, we are one generation from surviving the holocaust to standing before you as Colorado’s Attorney General, that’s America.”

Weiser spoke about the many prominent Republicans who had supported his campaign, including Republican state Sen. Don Coram from Montrose. He pledged to work for all Coloradans in his next term.

 “Four years ago when I was here, I talked about my commitment to serving as the people’s lawyer, now I stand before you with a team and a record of what that means, which is advancing the rule of law, protecting our democracy and promoting justice for all.”

Two Of Colorado’s Eight Congressional House Seats Remain Too Close To Call As Of Election Night  

Democrat and former Aspen City council person Adam Frisch is leading the 3rd Congressional District covering the western and southern portions of Colorado by 1.18 percentage points over Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert, with roughly 93 % of votes counted. 

Leading into the election, Boebert was favored to win the Republican-leaning district. 

Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District is holding up to its projected reputation as a competitive district as Democrat Yadira Caraveo holds a narrow lead of less than two percentage points over Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer. 

The new district covers portions of Adams, Weld, and Larimer counties. The Associated Press estimates election officials within those counties have counted roughly 68% of the votes. 

The Colorado Sun reports some Republicans were waiting until the last minute to cast their votes per the recommendations of election conspiracy theorists. Late voting adds time to the tabulation of final results.

For the state’s other congressional districts, the incumbents are projected to win their races, while the Associated Press has also called Democrat Brittany Petterson the winner for Colorado’s Congressional 7th.

About Two Million Coloradans Got Their Ballots In For This Year’s Midterm Election

 As of yesterday afternoon, unaffiliated voters accounted for 39% of ballot cast,  Democrats came in at 30 percent and Republicans cast 28 percent of ballots. 

People 65-to-74 age range represented the largest group of voter turnout, and people older than 35 pulled a lot higher numbers than their younger counterparts. 

Proposition FF: Healthy Meals for All passed after receiving 55.21 percent of the votes. 

Ordinance 307: Denver Deserves Sidewalks is an initiative to fix Denver sidewalks was winning at 53% at 11:30 p.m. Property owners would instate new property taxes.

For Statewide Ballot Questions, The Associated Press Is Calling YES As The Winner For Proposition 121

The State Income Tax Reduction issue, NO as the winner for Proposition 124 – the Retail Liquor Licenses Ballot Issue, and YES as the winner for Proposition GG – the Tax Impact Table Ballot issue. 

The ballot measures covering medicinal mushrooms and affordable housing remain split as of this morning. 

Tallies for Propositions 125 – wine in Grocery stores – and 126 Third Party Alcohol Delivery is currently leaning no.

Fort Collins Voters Are Showing Support For Three Changes Related To The City’s Elections

According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, voters said yes to Ranked-choice voting with just more than 57% of the vote after the second release of incomplete, unofficial ballot results. 

The city’s voters have also said yes to an increase in pay for council members and are also supporting moving the city’s elections to November in odd years rather than in April.

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