A vote for lower taxes is pretty straightforward; you either want to hold onto more of your hard-earned money, or you don’t. Personalities and party loyalties don’t figure in. It’s not about your political philosophy so much as it is about your pocketbook vs. inflation. And Coloradans voted overwhelmingly for their pocketbooks on Tuesday, adopting Proposition 121 – lowering the the state’s income tax rate for individuals and corporations from 4.55% to 4.40% – by 2 to 1.

In most other regards, they voted like Democrats.

Which probably came as little surprise in the many races where personalities, party loyalties and, of course, campaign contributions do figure in – a lot – in a state that has been getting ever bluer over the past couple of decades. After Tuesday, it’s bluer still.

Red wave? Not in Colorado. Republicans’ bright prospects in wide-ranging races elsewhere in the country barely registered here.

All statewide offices on the ballot, from Gov. Jared Polis on down, remained firmly in the hands of Democratic incumbents winning by comfortable margins. Democrats also appeared to retain control of both chambers of the state legislature as of Tuesday evening’s tallies.

At press time, the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District seat on the West Slope, currently held by first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, appeared to be slipping to Aspen Democrat Adam Frisch. But it was too close to call. Same goes for Colorado’s newly created 8th Congressional District seat north of Denver; Democratic contender Yadira Caraveo was slightly ahead of Republican Barb Kirkmeyer. Both are members of the legislature.

Yet, what about the key issues raised repeatedly by Republicans throughout the campaign season – most notably, crime and the ebbing economy? The fact that the GOP sensed political leverage in those issues doesn’t make them any less real. Ruling Democrats cannot wish them away, much as they might like to, and they will have to address them.

This morning, as the election’s winners and losers assess the political landscape, Colorado still leads the nation in auto thefts. Its rate of fentanyl overdose deaths still is soaring. Addicts who throng the streets of Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora continue to pitch their tents and spread their squalor in ever-increasing numbers in once-pleasant public spaces.

Likewise, inflation still is devouring ever more of the paychecks of working Coloradans, making it harder for them to pay mortgages and rent and even put dinner on the table. Labor shortages stymie small businesses, shuttering many over the past couple of years. The state’s energy sector continues to lose jobs as ruling Democrats turn the screws tighter on regulations to limit fossil fuel exploration – raising energy costs and further fueling inflation. The list goes on.

If Colorado Democrats follow this week’s victories with claims they’ve won a mandate from voters to stay the course on their policies for fighting crime, homelessness, inflation, and a host of other woes – they’d better be prepared to show those same voters real results.

That will be a tall task considering it was their party’s policies that helped usher in some of those problems in the first place.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board