Democrats retain power at state Capitol in 2024 election

• In the House, Democrats have won 43 seats, compared to 20 for Republicans with two seats still undecided. Right now, the party holds a 46-19 advantage.
• In the Senate, Democrats will keep 23 seats with Republicans holding 12. Each party flipped one seat to keep the numbers consistent.

Why it matters: The party that controls the Legislature decides which bills advance and determines spending priorities in the $47 billion budget.

The latest: The parties in each chamber recently picked their new leadership for the coming term, which begins in January.

• In the Senate, James Coleman (D-Denver) is the chamber's new president. He's one of the party's most moderate members. The Republican minority leader remains Sen. Paul Lundeen of Monument.
• In the House, Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon) is still at the helm after a controversial first term. Republicans stayed the course and picked Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs.

What they're saying: "We will show the country that Colorado is special and continue to be a model," Coleman pledged in his acceptance speech Friday.

• "It's incredibly important that we continue to work together to push our conservative agenda forward," Pugliese said.

Zoom in: The two outstanding races in the House are separated by narrow margins and currently favor Republicans.

• In District 19, covering part of Boulder and Weld counties, Republican Dan Woog leads Democrat Jillaire McMillan by 207 votes.
• In Colorado Springs' District 16, Republican Rebecca Keltie leads Democratic incumbent Steph Vigil by 21 votes.
• Republicans have already flipped one Democratic seat. Rep. Mary Young, the wife of state Treasurer Dave Young, lost her reelection bid in Greeley.