Everything that happened on Election Day

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Hello from the other side of an Election Day that was the punctuation at the end of months of jockeying, spending and politicking.

Nationwide, Donald Trump and the Republican party pulled off a poll-defying show of strength, capturing the presidency and control of the Senate — with a path to controlling the House of Representatives, though there are still dozens of uncalled races that will determine the balance of power, including in Colorado.

Meanwhile, Lauren Boebert’s district-switching gambit paid off, and statewide voters strongly endorsed the strengthening of abortion rights in the state while rejecting some of the most expensive and most talked-about initiatives on the ballot.

While we mostly know the outcomes of this election, we will not know the full consequences of these votes for months or even years. So while we’re going to spend today’s newsletter laying out everything we know as of this writing, our job here at The Colorado Sun is just beginning. Our mission to provide independent, reader-supported watchdog journalism around the state will continue as we navigate the ripple effects of yesterday’s vote — and we hope that you’ll be right there with us as readers, members and donors to our nonprofit.

Oh, and it’s been snowing a lot, if you haven’t noticed. So pour a strong cup of whatever you’re drinking this morning and let’s get to it, shall we?

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

Live Blog: Top stories and takeaways from Election Day

From the rejection of the Kent Thiry-backed election reform proposition to tight races in the state’s congressional districts, we tracked all the updates and talked to voters through the night on our election night live blog. Click through to see voter voices and notes from around the state — and keep an eye on our results dashboard for updates as votes continue to be counted.

READ MORE, LIVE RESULTS DASHBOARD

• Kamala Harris easily beats Donald Trump in Colorado. Colorado continued its recent turn to blue, with Kamala Harris capturing all 10 of the state’s electoral votes.
• Donald Trump wins presidency, GOP reclaims U.S. Senate majority. Trump’s performance in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin sealed his path to 270 electoral votes and a popular vote victory, while flipped seats Montana, Ohio and West Virginia gave the GOP clear majority in the Senate.

WINNERS

• CD4 — Lauren Boebert wins reelection, fending off Democrat Trisha Calvarese in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. 
• Amendment 79 — Colorado will protect abortion in state constitution, allow public spending on procedure. 
• Prop. KK — Colorado voters approve excise tax on guns and ammunition. 
• Prop. JJ — Colorado to keep all sports betting tax revenue to fund water projects. 
• Amendment G — Colorado voters expand property tax break to more disabled veterans. 
• Amendment H — Colorado to create a new board to enforce judicial ethics. 
• Amendment I — Colorado judges can deny bail to people charged with first-degree murder. 
• Amendment J — Colorado will remove same-sex marriage ban from state constitution. 
• Prop. 128 — Colorado extends prison time for people convicted of some violent felonies. 
• Denver 7A — Voters say RTD can keep taxes, remove TABOR cap. 
• Denver 2Q — Voters appear to approve tax increase for Denver Health. 

LOSERS

• Prop. 131 — Colorado voters reject all-candidate primary and ranked choice election ballot measure. 
• Prop. 127 — Ban on mountain lion, bobcat hunting fails. 
• Denver Ordinance 309 — Denver voters reject attempt to ban slaughterhouses within city. 

TOO CLOSE TO CALL

• CD8 — Race between Yadira Caraveo, Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is too close to call. 
• CD3 — Race between Adam Frisch, Jeff Hurd in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District is too close to call.  
• Board of Education — Future of charter schools unclear as Colorado’s competitive Board of Education race is too close to call. 
• Prop. 129 — Colorado veterinary professional associate measure 
• Prop. 130 — A $350M funding boost for Colorado law enforcement 
• Amendment 80 — Colorado measure placing right to school choice in state constitution is too close to call. 
• Amendment K — Colorado election deadlines unlikely to change. 
• Denver Ballot Issue 2R — Voters divided on sales tax for affordable housing. 

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STATE LEGISLATURE

Colorado Democrats maintain control of the state legislature, but their path to a supermajority is slim

Brian Eason breaks down what we know about the future of the state legislature, including the dwindling options for a Democratic supermajority that could embolden progressive lawmakers to push for an aggressive agenda for workers, social services and the environment.

READ MORE

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NON-ELECTION NEWS

• Colorado’s 21-and-older gun law can go into effect, federal appeals court rules. Judges ruled Tuesday that a Colorado law passed last year requiring people to be at least 21 years old before they purchase a firearm — and prohibiting dealers from selling to anyone under 21 — can go into effect, John Ingold reports.
• Health care prices for Colorado public-sector retirees see huge increase for 2025. Two Medicare Advantage plans offered by Colorado PERA are seeing big jumps — 130% for one and more than 200% for the other. John Ingold explains.

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THE COLORADO REPORT

• Colorado weather blog: Snow updates, delays and closures. The latest on the snowstorm pushing through the state.
  — Denver 7
• Colorado Springs voters appear to approve competing marijuana measures deciding fate of recreational sales. It’s unclear which measure between Ballot Issue 2D and Ballot Question 300 will take precedence after Springs voters approved both.
  — KRCC
• Denver voters approve unionization of city employees, arbitration for firefighters. Voters showed support for Referred Question 2U to permit city employees to organize and collectively bargain.
  — The Denver Post
• Jeffco sees a 10,000% increase in inmate voter turnout after new state law takes effect. Some 300 eligible people in incarceration at the Jeffco jail cast their vote this year, up from three voters in 2022, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 72, Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez said.
  — 9News

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Littwin: I can’t explain why Trump won. But unlike some Trump voters, I must believe my own eyes. Election Day has come and gone, and our nation’s deep political divide is sure to linger.
  — Mike Littwin 

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at [email protected].

SunLit

REVIEW

Old Firehouse Books suggests fantasy titles and a little true crime

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends:

• “A Sunny Place for Shady People,” by Mariana Enriquez, a collection of fantastical short stories from Argentina
• “The City in Glass,” by Nghi Vo, mutual fascination ensues as demon and angel clash over a city 
• “Dark Places,” by Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl” author evokes true crime in novel form

Read what the bookstore staff had to say about each. Pick up a copy and support your local bookstores at the same time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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It might not feel like it after a long night of refreshing screens, but the day is young and we’ll have more updates for you in the hours ahead. Keep checking in and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun

Corrections & Clarifications

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing [email protected].

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