State and Federal Updates
Editor’s note: The Bold’s Editor-in-Chief, Suvu Singh, is a current intern with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s re-election campaign. Singh has refrained from writing or editing coverage of the attorney general election. The Bold feels it is best to disclose this information as we value objective and transparent journalism and believe our readers do as well.
Federal
Joe O’Dea & Michael Bennet
7:11 p.m. –As the first poll results are coming in, Michael Bennet is currently leading in the race against Joe O’Dea with 311,978 votes.
7:31 p.m. – With over one million votes in, incumbent Michael Bennet is currently leading Joe O’Dea by over 190,000 votes.
7:36 p.m.– With large counties having the majority of their results in, NBC projects Bennet will win the 2022 Colorado Senate race.
8:41- Joe O’Dea concedes: “We are very disappointed with tonight’s results… the outcome is a tough pill to swallow.”
8:59- Bennet receives 55.86% of the votes, according to Colorado Election Results. O’Dea concedes.
Joe Neguse & Marshall Johnson
7:24p.m. – Joe Neguse is currently in the lead against Marshall Dawson with 16,635 votes against Dawson’s 10,633 votes.
7:57 – With 57% of votes in, Neguse is continuing to lead the race with 88,077 votes over Dawson.
9:05 – Neguse leading with 71% of votes, according to 9News.
State
Governor
7:31 p.m. – NBC News called the race for governor, declaring Polis as the projected winner. Polis currently holds 59.85% of the tallied votes, while Ganahl holds 38.38% of the counted votes, according to unofficial state results.
8:38 p.m.- Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl conceded the election, according to a Twitter post at 8:33 p.m. by Jesse Paul, reporter at The Colorado Sun.
Attorney General
7:14 p.m. –Democrat Phil Weiser is currently leading the race for state attorney general in Boulder County against opposing Republican candidate John Kellner.
7:18 p.m. –In the state, Weiser is leading with 55.59% of the tallied vote, while Kellner has 42.63% of counted votes.
7:49 p.m. –Weiser continues to hold his lead in the race for attorney general, with 57.36% of the state voting in his favor. Opposing Kellner has 40.83% of state votes.
8:34 pm – with 60% of expected votes in, Democrat Phil Weiser leads with 54.8%, according to the New York Times.
9:15 p.m. – With 62% of expected votes in, Weisner remains in the lead with 54.8% and Kellner follows with 43.4%.
9:18 p.m. – NBC News declared the race for attorney general. Weiser is the projected winner, currently holding 54.51% of the vote.
9:24 p.m. – Republican Kellner conceded the attorney general race, according to The Colorado Sun. Democrat Weiser is the projected winner.
Secretary of State
7:58 p.m. – With 53% of expected votes in, Democrat Griswold continues to lead with 57.3% of the votes. Republican opponent Anderson follows with 40.5%.
8:53 p.m. – With 66% of expected votes in, Democrat Griswold is leading with 55.1%. Republican opponent Anderson follows with 42.6%.
9:04 p.m.- NBC News called the race for secretary of state, declaring Griswold the projected winner at 67% of expected votes in.
9:11 p.m. – According to The Colorado Sun, Griswold is the projected winner over Republican Anderson for secretary of state.
Prop 123
8:43 pm: With 59% of expected votes in, Prop 123 remains a toss-up, with 50.9% of voters in favor and 49.1% voting against the proposition.
9:08 p.m. – Prop 123 remains close with 50.92% voting yes and 49.08% voting no.
Prop 125
8:02 p.m.- Proposition 125 has flipped its position, but it remains a coin flip. Currently, 50.03% of voters are for the proposition and 49.97% of voters are against.
9:09 p.m.- Votes for Prop 125 continue to remain nearly tied. In another flip, a slight majority of voters now favor not passing the proposition, with 50.11% of votes against the issue and 49.89% favoring passing the proposition. With a long night to go and such a close race more flips are to be seen.
District 3
8:28 p.m. – In potential upset, Frisch takes the lead for Representative for District 3. Frisch currently holds 52.67% of the vote, with Boebert taking the remaining 47.33%.
8:58 p.m.: With 68% of expected votes in, Adam Frisch leads with 51.83%, incumbent Lauren Boebert with 48.17%. While Frisch is currently in the lead, the New York Times projects Boebert to win.
CU Regents
Districts 1, 4, and 8 have reported vote totals in the Regents of the University of Colorado elections. Cannabis industry pioneer and Denver native Wanda James has won 77.49% of the current vote share in District 1, all but solidifying the Democrats’ hold on the district for another 6 years. In the eastern Fourth Congressional District, Republican Frank McNulty, former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives is poised to continue the party’s control of the seat, with a current 23-point lead. This takes over incumbent Sue Sharkey’s seat as she is barred from re-election due to Colorado’s consecutive term limit law. Newly created District 8 is the most interesting race of the night, and is tightening up to be extremely consequential. Seasoned educator Democrat Yolanda Ortega is locked in a dead heat with Greeley native Republican Mark VanDriel, in a 49.55% to 50.55% lead, with an even split Board of Regents being possible if VanDriel is able to win. District 5 has yet to report any election data, though Republican Vice Chair Ken Montera likely faces re-election after his bipartisan appointment to the office by Democrat Governor Jared Polis in December 2021.
District 5, composed solely of El Paso county, has reported vote totals with incumbent Regent Ken Montera taking 59.31%, or 107,515 votes, likely ensuring the CU alum a full term in the seat of Vice Chair. The highly contested District 8 seat race gained more votes in Larimer County, picking up around a small sum of 6,000 votes, in a 55% to 45% split for Republican Mark VanDriel, bringing the contest to a 50.86% vote share for him. Adams, Weld, and Larimer Counties have yet to finish vote reporting and thus the race remains far too close and early to call. It is unique to have such a consequential race for the makeup of a state board and with the recent re-election of Governor Polis just minutes ago, Regent Heidi Ganahl may face an uncertain future with her at-large regent position being the target for a balancing of board’s unequal makeup via omission.
