Gov. Jared Polis congratulates new Democratic House leaders

Gov. Jared Polis released a statement congratulating the newly-elected Democratic House leadership, on Monday.

“Congratulations to Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie, Majority Leader Monica Duran, Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, Co-Whips Iman Jodeh and Matt Martinez, Co-Caucus Chairs Junie Joseph and Mandy Lindsay on their election, and Joint Budget Committee Members Shannon Bird and Emily Sirota on their appointment, to lead the Colorado State House of Representatives for the 75th General Assembly,” said Polis. “I look forward to working in close partnership to continue delivering real results for Coloradans to make our state safer, more sustainable, and more affordable.”

McCluskie, Duran, and Bacon were all reelected to their respective positions.

Colorado Latinos voted for Dems 2:1, exit poll finds

A new exit poll by the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda found that Colorado Latino voters favored Democratic presidential and congressional candidates by a two-to-one margin statewide.

According to the poll, which surveyed 600 Latino and Latina voters across the state, 67% of respondents said they voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, while 63% said they supported Democratic congressional candidates. In Congressional District 8, which contains a significant Latino population, Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, received 56% of the Latino vote against Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans, who ultimately won the race. Both candidates have Mexican heritage.

Key issues among survey respondents included inflation/cost of living, affordable housing, reproductive rights, and immigration.

State youth voter turnout greatly exceeded national average, data shows

Colorado’s young voters turned out in numbers well above the national average, according to ballot data. According to a report from New Era, 69% of 18-34-year-olds in the state voted in the recent election, nearly double the national average of 42-44%.

Colorado’s young voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris by a 25-point margin, significantly higher than Harris’ 6-point nationally among young voters nationwide.

Young voters of color in Colorado showed up in notably high numbers; their 54% turnout rate is much higher than national levels, New Era said, adding that young voters were particularly instrumental in passing Amendment 79, which enshrined the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution. Nearly 70% of voters aged 18-44 voted in favor of the amendment.

“In 2024, New Era Colorado ran its most impactful cross-entity electoral program yet,” said New Era deputy director Christina Soliz. “We saw proof of our philosophy that when young people are educated and empowered, we can change elections. We’re not surprised to see young people vote for our values of freedom and equitable access to health care and for our vision for a more anti-racist world.”