Democrats pick up seats in state Senate and House
Democrats may have made headway in the Colorado General Assembly Tuesday night after possibly gaining seats in both state senate and house races.
The state House of Representatives, at a 41-24 Democratic advantage, was not likely to change enough for Republicans to gain control. At best, their hopes would be to stave off any further losses and maybe regain a seat or two lost in 2018.
Six seats are most at play in the House, with another four targeted for heavy spending in the campaign season’s final weeks.
But as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the only certain change was a seat in Centennial that flipped from Republican to Democrat; a second seat hoped for by Republicans in southern Colorado was too close to call, as it had been in 2018.
Republican hopes for retaking control of the state Senate, and ending the Democratic hold on complete power in the state Capitol (including the governor’s office) boiled down to five seats.
But Democrats appear to have laid claim to two more seats, one in northwestern Colorado and another in a south Denver suburb.
A total of 18 seats were up for election Tuesday night, although just five are considered competitive.
In 2019-20, Democrats held a 19-16 advantage, and on Tuesday hoped to flip three seats to build upon their majority, in Senate District 8 (northwestern Colorado), Senate District 25 (Adams County) and Senate District 27 (Centennial, Arapahoe County). Republicans hope to flip the bare minimum two seats they would need to regain the majority, in Senate District 19 (north Jeffco) and Senate District 26 (Arapahoe County, including Greenwood Village, Englewood and Sheridan).
Members of the House of Representatives continue their work from the house floor at the start of the returning session. Colorado lawmakers return to the state Capitol on May 26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Legislators have returned after a 10-week pause due to fears from the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo By Kathryn Scott)