Colorado politicos reacted mostly along partisan lines Saturday to word that Democrat Joe Biden had surpassed the necessary 270 Electoral College votes and apparently won the presidency.

The Associated Press and other major news organizations called the race in battleground Pennsylvania, after days of President Donald Trump claiming baselessly that the ballot-counting process was unfair and corrupt.

In results posted at 9:25 a.m. MST the AP said Biden had won 24 states and the District of Columbia for 284 electoral votes, to Trump’s 23 states with 214 electoral votes. Nevada and its 6 electoral votes were called soon after, leaving three states with 34 electoral votes still uncalled.

With 95% of precincts reporting nationally, Biden led Trump 51% to 48% in the popular vote with 74.9 million votes to Trump’s roughly 70.6 million votes.

Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris won Colorado’s nine electoral votes, finishing about 13 points ahead of Trump in unofficial results.

“Congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who was among more than two dozen Democrats who sought the nomination to run against Trump, in a statement.

“More citizens voted in this election than ever before. The election was hard fought and fairly won.”

Addressing his remarks to Biden and Harris, Bennet said: “With your victory comes the promise that, as a country, we can set aside years of partisan acrimony and get to the hard work of making equality and prosperity our shared purpose. I look forward to joining you in this effort.”

“A new dawn is rising in America,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said in a statement congratulating Biden and Harris on “a historic victory” in Colorado and nationally and for “focusing on what unites us all as Americans.”

Polis also drew attention to Colorado’s all-mail balloting system.

“What makes America extraordinary is that our elections are safe and secure and that the results reflect the will of the people,” he said. “Every legitimate vote is counted and a winner is declared and we all respect the process. In 2020, Coloradans showed the world that our election system is safe, reliable and our democracy functions at its best when we break down barriers to ensure more people vote.”

Added Polis: “I am excited to work with the Biden-Harris administration to continue building a Colorado for all, and a United States of America for all.”

Trump on Saturday morning tweeted a declaration of victory, following a tweeted demand Thursday that election officials “STOP THE COUNT” as tabulation continued in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and other states inundated with an influx of absentee and early ballots cast at the urging of officials concerned about limiting spread of the surging coronavirus.

In remarks delivered Thursday at the White House, Trump escalated attacks on the integrity of the country’s election system, repeating charges he’s leveled for months without evidence that mail ballots are subject to widespread fraud.

“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” Trump said in a statement issued Saturday morning after the AP had called Pennsylvania for Biden.

“The simple fact is this election is far from over.”

A spokeswoman for Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Trump ally who lost his bid for a second term on Tuesday to former Gov. John Hickenlooper, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s apparent win.

Hickenlooper offered his congratulations to his fellow Democrats.

“Congratulations to my good friends @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris,” Hickenlooper tweeted. “It’s been a long, tough road – but we are going to rebuild from this crisis and restore the soul of this great nation. I look forward to working with you in Washington!”

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, tweeted her reaction to the news.

“Congratulations to PRESIDENT-ELECT @JoeBiden! And to the first woman to ever become VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT of the United States, @KamalaHarris!,” she said.

“Today, we made history. Tomorrow, we get to work.”

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat elected Tuesday to a second term, offered his congratulations to the ticket in a statement.

“Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris! America made clear who we are as a nation,” said Crow, who served as one of the House managers prosecuting the impeachment case against Trump earlier this year.

“In electing Joe Biden, a man whose compassion and kindness has defined his service, America made clear who we want to be. The son of Scranton is a man whose life has been defined by struggle, like so many of us. And our nation’s first woman Vice-President, a daughter of immigrants, embodies the hopes and aspirations of our nation,” Crow said.

“Excited to get to work!” tweeted U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, the Lafayette Democrat elected to a second term on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, an Arvada Democrat, tweeted his congratulations to Biden and Harris and added: “This victory is a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over the last four years to set forth a new direction for our nation.”

Lauren Boebert, the Rifle Republican elected to represent the Western Slope-based 3rd Congressional District following an endorsement by Trump, sounded a cautious note after days of demanding that officials only count “the legal votes.”

“The American people will have the final word, not the media,” Boebert tweeted Saturday morning, echoing a message delivered by numerous Republican senators and House members.

Spokespeople for Republican U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn and Ken Buck didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Kris Cook, chairwoman of the Denver GOP, also said it was premature to call the election.

“Given that litigation is pending, the Denver GOP does not believe that the American people have the results of the election yet,” she wrote in a text message. “Until the ballot counts are audited, litigated and certified, the ‘results’ have only come from media sources, which have proven themselves repeatedly and viciously aligned against President Trump throughout his administration.”

Senate President Leroy Garcia, a Pueblo Democrat and a member of Biden’s National Latino Leadership Council, said: “With more people voting for Joe Biden than any other presidential candidate in history, this was a historically hard-fought victory. Rather than succumb to fear, hate, and cynicism, people chose to believe that things could change for the better.

“But this is just the beginning. We are standing at the foot of an enormous challenge that in many ways feels insurmountable. Bringing the country back together will take unparalleled effort, patience, and compassion. But I believe we are up to the task and that President-elect Biden will heal our nation’s divides, despite the damage Trump has done.”

House Speaker-designate Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat, also called attention to Biden’s margin in the national vote in a statement.

“With a huge popular vote margin and certain electoral college win, Biden’s victory shows the American people have chosen a leader that reflects the ideals I see in America,” Garnett said. “Ideals of hope, opportunity and a march to a more unified future. Now is a time for national healing and for Americans from all backgrounds and from both parties to come together to build back stronger.”

Added Garnett: “I know President-elect Biden will govern on behalf of everyone in our country as we continue the hard work of getting our economy back on track and our country through this pandemic.”

Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, said in a statement that Biden’s apparent win gives him hope for the future “[b]ecause when we show up for our democracy, when we actually participate in the process, change does happen. So even though the task of healing our country is still incredibly daunting, it’s clear that there is a prevailing spirit of determination. We are determined to withstand the crushing circumstances of the last four years and begin to rebuild a better country.”

A spokesman for the Colorado House Republicans said the GOP lawmakers didn’t have a comment on the news. A spokesman for the Senate Republicans told Colorado Politics that the caucus would not be commenting.

State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat and longtime Harris ally, drew attention to the historic nature of the apparent next vice president.

“I’m elated and ecstatic to see the first woman vice president of the United States be a woman of color. Kamala Harris is qualified. She’s determined, and she is rightfully going to be the second in charge of this nation,” Herod said in a phone interview.

“The Biden-Harris ticket will be inheriting a nation that is deeply divided and it’s imperative that they get to work right away to bring us back together. I look forward to hearing their remarks tonight and in the coming days to give a signal of just how much they will focus on that. I know it’s a priority of the incoming administration and it’s not easy work, but it’s something that must be done.”

Added Herod: “Just trust Black women. We’ll get it done.”

Colorado Democratic Party chair Morgan Carroll celebrated the news in a statement.

“They say the night’s darkest just before dawn, and after four years of the most corrupt presidency in modern history, it’s morning in America again. Our country was given a very clear choice – four more years of Trump’s corruption and vicious dismantling of our norms, or a return to honor and decency in the White House with Joe Biden. As Biden has said multiple times, he will be a president for all of America – not just those who voted for him – and I echo his words that it is time for all our country to come together and put the past four years of horrible division behind us,” she said.

“We are all Americans, and under Joe Biden, we will build back better an America that has an economy that works for all, that listens to science, that protects our planet, and that puts working families first, not the ultra-wealthy. I offer my deepest congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and my deepest thanks to all the amazing Democratic candidates who bravely stepped forth to run for offices up and down the ticket.”

A spokesman for the Colorado Republican Party didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Calling Biden and Harris’ apparent victory a “historic win and historic election,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock took to Twitter to thank the country for its patience while the votes have been counted.

“This is a victory for hope, decency and the promise of the American people,” Hancock said. “Come January, the dysfunction will be over. President-elect Biden has faced this type of challenge before, working with President Obama to pull us out of the Great Recession, and he’ll be ready on Day 1 to take the steps needed to get this pandemic under control. He’ll be ready to rebuild our economy and work with Congress to get a stimulus deal that struggling Americans and businesses desperately need right now. He’ll be ready to bring honor and respect back to the White House. This is a new day for our country, and now that the election is over, it’s time for us to come together, to move forward together, and rebuild together.”

Denver City Council President Stacie Gilmore called Saturday “a historic time for our democracy” in a text message to Colorado Politics, noting that, “We had patience and allowed the votes to be counted.”

“Congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris,” she continued. “I am elated to finally have a woman of color in the White House. I look forward to their leadership during these very divided times in America.”

Denver City Councilman Paul Kashmann wrote in an email: “I look forward to president-elect Biden making good on his promise to do everything in his power to unify our country.”

Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado, said it’s time to get busy tackling the climate crisis.

“From the presidential race down to local initiatives, Coloradans voted to support our climate and our communities. Now the work to build back better begins,” she said in a statement.

“Climate impacts are real for Coloradans, and many of our marquee races were won or lost on whether a candidate will protect our climate and communities. Coloradans weren’t distracted by greenwashing or lip service. They were clear that being an anti-public lands, pro-polluter enabler is a losing position in our state.

“We need President-elect Biden to implement his bold climate plan in the White House and support states innovating to reduce pollution and tackling climate change. It is essential that Colorado continues to be a leader. We must set an example for Washington, DC by hitting our climate targets, implementing oil and gas reforms, leading on the goal of protecting 30% of our land and water over the next decade, and directly confronting the impacts of environmental racism in our state.”

Colorado Politics’ Joey Bunch, Marianne Goodland, Alayna Alvarez and Michael Karlik contributed.

This developing story will be updated.