Colorado polls closed at 9 p.m. ET on June 24, and Democratic and Republican voters finished choosing party nominees for governor, the Senate and several congressional seats. The race to replace Jared Polis, who is term-limited, was the biggest prize on the ballot.
That is why Colorado election results drew attention beyond the state. The governor’s contest is open for the first time since 2018, and the Democratic primary between Bennet and Weiser was the center of that race as voters weighed who should take on the job next.
The Senate primary added another layer of pressure for Democrats. Julie Gonzales was challenging John Hickenlooper, while Mark Baisley was unopposed for the GOP nomination. In the 1st Congressional District, DeGette’s challenge from Kiros was one more sign that the state’s primary ballot reached well past the governor’s race.
The sharpest focus, though, stayed on the 8th Congressional District, the most competitive seat in Colorado this year. Trump carried it by less than 2 percentage points in 2024, and Gabe Evans won it by less than 1 point, making the district a place where a small shift can flip the result. Manny Rutinel, a state representative and the top fundraiser in the Democratic primary, leaned on his family’s immigrant story in a district with a high share of Latino voters. He also had backing from powerful labor unions and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Shannon Bird, a former state representative, was endorsed by EMILY's List, New Dems, Blue Dog PAC and The Bench.
Colorado is often described as reliably Democratic, but the numbers at the edge of the map tell a different story. The 5th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Jeff Crank was running for a second term, went to Trump by 9 points in 2024, and Crank had Trump’s endorsement. That is also where Jessica Killin, a veteran and later chief of staff to Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was trying to make the case that demographic change in Colorado Springs could matter in November.
The winners from Tuesday’s primaries will move on to November, and the next question is not who gets a nomination, but who can win a state where Democrats hold the advantage overall while two House districts remain close enough to keep both parties on edge. The 8th Congressional District is likely to be the clearest test of that balance.
