In nearly 40 years of working in Colorado politics, I have never seen anything quite like the midterm election of 2022.? It is clearly one for the history books, and not just because of Colorado’s blue tsunami.

A national “red wave” allegedly fueled by voter concerns about inflation, crime and immigration not only didn’t materialize, voters around the country punished election deniers and Jan. 6 apologists, and Republican expectations have been blunted.

As of this writing, control of both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate is still undetermined and majority control may well depend on a Georgia run-off and recounts in several congressional districts, including in Colorado.

Also read: WADHAMS | Dem victory signals a Colorado in decline

The breadth and depth of Democratic Party victories in the 2022 midterms is quite remarkable.? U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet won convincingly, and Gov. Jared Polis was never in doubt but racked up impressive margins, even in GOP strongholds like El Paso and Douglas counties. Democrats kept all the top statewide offices, including the hard-fought race for attorney general, where incumbent Phil Weiser frustrated Republican efforts to reframe the office as one primarily focused on crime-busting (hint: it isn’t).

Democrats actually improved their hold on the statehouse, with some progressive voices ominously crowing about a “veto-proof” majority.?

Then, of course, the biggest surprise of the night:? The utter humiliation of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, in a race allegedly foreordained, but brought to hard reality by a tenacious long-shot, Adam Frisch.? This race is likely going into recount territory, but the message from 3rd Congressional District voters is clear and compelling, namely, that Boebert’s incendiary and hate-filled approach to public service has not worn well with her constituents.? Credit Frisch and Republican State Sen. Don Coram for getting public service right.

What accounts for the blue tsunami in Colorado?

People more expert than I will pore over the data, dissect the demographics and turnout numbers.? Political junkies (like me) will savor all of this like fine wine, but my guess is that turnout by young voters and outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs played key parts.

It will take time to fully understand why Coloradans voted the way they did.?But this is yet another election in which the Republican message went stale.? It wasn’t supposed to work out this way. The GOP playbook was to push out the most radical far-right elements and run less scary candidates for top office, headlined by Joe O’Dea for U.S. Senate.?

Even as a long-time Democrat, I saw this shift away from the GOP fringe as a healthy and welcomed move.? I’d rather see what I call the “Bill Owens” wing of the Republican Party ascendant than the most radical Trumpian fringe.

Though this was supposed to result in GOP victories, it was undermined by a number of factors, including that Democrats ran their own brand of moderate, capable candidates for office (Brittany Pettersen for Congress and Julie McCluskie for state House, are but a couple of examples). Democratic messaging was focused on protecting abortion rights, respecting democracy and touting solid policy accomplishments during the governor’s first term, aided by an appreciation for the way his administration led the state thorough the trauma of COVID.

In short, Democrats put their best foot forward.? Republicans never found their footing.

Perhaps the least sure-footed of all the Republican candidates, gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl, ran a mysteriously inept campaign. Ganahl apparently did not get the memo and instead of campaigning as a moderate, she consistently flirted with the fringe. Picking an election-denier as a running mate and her weird fixation with “furries” in schools are but two examples.? As the standard bearer for the statewide ticket, she undermined her party’s chances with a bizarre campaign.

Though Joe O’Dea tried to walk the tightrope of anti-Trump moderation, it never seemed to be entirely authentic, and his early fumble on whether he’d support a second Trump nomination wasn’t fixed by his later assertions to the contrary.

Efforts spent on reassuring Colorado voters that the GOP was pro-democracy, moderate in temperament and focused on bringing people together more or less went up in smoke while incumbents like Lauren Boebert unhelpfully reminded voters just how unhinged and extreme the GOP appears under the sway of Donald Trump.

The Trump brand still lingers around the Republican Party in Colorado and it is a sure recipe for failure, just as it has been for the last four statewide elections.

A friend and former journalist, Todd Hartman, put it succinctly in a tweet: “The Republican brand is toxic here, thanks to Trump and his acolytes.?You don’t just shed that skin in a cycle or two.”? I think that is the best two-sentence take on what happened in Colorado, and hopefully a message we can send to the rest of the country.

Alan Salazar has served as chief strategy officer for Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. and later U.S. Sen. Mark Udall; as deputy chief of staff and policy director for former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, and in key staff posts for former Colorado U.S. Sens. Tim Wirth and Gary Hart. He also served in senior-level positions in President Bill Clinton’s election and re-election campaigns and in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. He currently is chief of staff for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.