Welcome to Briefly, Colorado Politics’ daily news briefing. Here’s what’s going on today:

House Dems lose supermajority

Democrats have officially lost their supermajority in the state House following the narrow defeats of Rep. Stephanie Vigil of Colorado Springs District and Jillaire McMillan of Longmont. McMillan was running in place of Rep. Jennifer Parenti, D- Erie, who dropped out of her reelection campaign for over the summer, while Vigil was hoping to continue her tenure as the first Democrat to represent House District 19.

Republican Rebecca Keltie of Colorado Springs defeated Vigil by just seven votes, while former legislator Dan Woog of Frederick defeated McMillan by just over 120 votes. Both races were too close to call on Election night, but were officially decided earlier this week. It is likely there will be a recount for the Keltie-Vigil race. 

House Republicans celebrated the flipped seats, with Minority Leader Rep. Rose Pugliese saying, “Colorado voters spoke loudly, supporting two common-sense leaders in Dan Woog and Rebecca Keltie. After we saw the people of Colorado defeat Prop HH last year and now three House districts flipping back to Republicans, the message is clear: Coloradans want a lower cost of living and a thriving economy. The Democratic policies pushing higher taxes and fees are not the way forward for Coloradans across the state.”

The other House District that flipped this election was District 50, in which Republican Ryan Gonzalez defeated incumbent Democrat Rep. Mary Young, D- Greeley, by just over two percentage points. 

Democrats still hold a majority in both branches of the state legislature. 

Denver to conduct election audit Nov. 19 

The Denver Elections Division will be conducting its required risk-limiting audit of the election results next Tuesday, November 19. 

A random selection of ballots selected by the Secretary of State will be audited to provide statistical confidence that the results are accurate. 

Polis announces plans for pedestrian walkway from Capitol to Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park

Gov. Jared Polis today announced plans to build a pedestrian walkway between the State Capitol and Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park in Denver. 

According to Polis, the walkway, which will be constructed in honor of Colorado’s sesquicentennial, will help increase pedestrian at a busy intersection in the Capitol Hill neighborhood while detailing the history of Colorado’s 150 years of statehood. 

“As we get closer to Colorado’s 150th birthday, we continue working to make Colorado the best place to live, work and play,” said Polis. “What better way to celebrate this milestone than with a walkable art experience that highlights our state’s history and future, while also increasing pedestrian safety and walkability. I look forward to seeing this amazing walkway come to life and create an exceptional experience for Coloradans and visitors alike.”

The walkway is a partnership between the Governor’s Office, the P3 Office at the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration, and History Colorado. It will be designed by Chicago-based firm Studio Gang, in collaboration with Denver partner firms. The state’s initial investment will be $1.5 million. 

The governor’s office has created an online survey for members of the public to share stories about Colorado and offer suggestions for stories that should be included in the walkway. 

CPW Commission adopts East Slope mountain lion management plan

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has officially adopted a new plan for managing mountain lions on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, the organization announced today. 

Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the 10-year plan, which comes four years after the passage of a similar effort for lions on the western slope.

According to CPW, the plan will guide management decisions made by biologists and wildlife managers for maintaining a stable mountain lion population and inform future research to help the organization improve its understanding of lion populations and biology. 

The plan’s adoption comes after several months of public meetings which saw over 700 members of the public in attendance.