Democrats dominated last night’s election, while well-funded ballot measures failed. Here are takeaways from Tuesday’s results:   

Colorado’s hue is very blue   

After watching last night’s results roll in, columnist Eric Sondermann concluded that Colorado is now “way past sky blue. We’re a … sapphire or something like that.” Sondermann noted that Republicans believed 2022 was their year to wrestle away crucial positions from Democrats, putting forth a “ticket of grownups.” In the end, he said, that didn’t matter.  

Big money doesn’t equal victory

Coloradans rejected all three ballot measures that seek to expand the sale and delivery of alcohol, despite the “yes” campaigns overwhelming funding advantage. Matt Mosely, who speaks for the opposition campaign, called it a “true David vs Goliath story,” noting that the “yes” campaigns spent a combined $32 million against the “no” campaign’s $680,000. The tally on Proposition 125, which seeks to allow grocery and convenience stores that sell beer to also sell wine, remains close, but it has been trending in the opposition’s favor since late last night. 

Several ballot measures involving alcohol, like selling wine in Colorado grocery stores, seem poised to fail despite big spending.

Coloradans like lower taxes but Denver’s OK with upping taxes for priorities    

The proposal to reduce Colorado’s the state income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40% overwhelmingly passed. In a commanding victory, the measure, so far, received nearly 1.2 million votes – nearly double the “no” votes. But even as they favor lower taxes, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved a new property-owner tax that will inject $32 million into the city’s library system. So far, Question 21 is passing with 65% of the vote, according to the early and unofficial results.

Amie Baca-Oehlert from Colorado Education Association, Carmen Medrano from United for a New Economy and Kathy White from Colorado Fiscal Institute react to Tuesday’s results on Proposition GG, which would require a tax information table be included on petitions and ballots for any citizen-initiated measure that changes the individual income tax rate, and Proposition 121, which would reduce the state income tax rate to 4.40% for tax year 2022 and beyond.

Colorado voters want their politicians to smile, not scowl

Republican gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl started calling herself a “mad mom” in the final weeks of the campaign, making explicit the angry approach she took from the start. Like Ganahl, GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea mostly focused on a litany of complaints about the state of affairs in Colorado, typified by a near-daily recitation of bad news. Their opponents took a more optimistic approach, including when a smiling Gov. Jared Polis called out Ganahl’s persistent frown in their final debate, saying he identifies himself “as a happy dad.” At another debate, Polis said he didn’t “even recognize the dystopian version of wherever she lives.” Neither did, it appears, voters, who reelected the Democrats by double-digit margins.