3 takeaways from Colorado's primary election
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Phil Weiser at an election night party after winning the Democratic primary. Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
Colorado progressives flexed their muscle in Tuesday's Democratic primary, scoring marquee wins up and down the ballot.
Why it matters: The results suggest Colorado Democrats aren't just rebuking President Trump — they're increasingly demanding a more confrontational brand of politics.
The big picture: Colorado is the latest sign of a national leftward pull in the midterm elections, where incumbents — often better funded — have struggled to hold ground.
State of play: Here are three takeaways from the results:
1. Progressives make a statement. Candidates who pushed against the status quo racked up victories and kept races closer than expected.
- In Denver's 1st Congressional District, 29-year incumbent Diana DeGette lost to a 29-year-old democratic socialist, Melat Kiros. The first-time candidate held a solid lead, and the AP called the race just after 10pm.
- In the race for secretary of state, the Democrat recommended by the local democratic socialist chapter, Amanda Gonzalez, handily defeated veteran state Sen. Jessie Danielson.
What they're saying: "It's time for change; it's time for somebody who's actually going to fight for the people [to] represent the people," Aurora resident Matthew Donohue, 30, told Axios Tuesday at Kiros' watch party.
Even where progressives fell short, they showed force.
- U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper won the Democratic nomination by a double-digit margin, but state Sen. Julie Gonzales defeated him in Denver — the state's Democratic bastion — while taking at least 44% of the vote overall.
2. Anti-Washington sentiment gets loud. DeGette, Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet all suffered from voter vitriol over how to combat Trump and broader dysfunction in Washington.
In a stunning upset, Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Bennet, 55% to 45%, for the Democratic nomination for governor.
- Weiser ran as a "fighter" and managed to ride the progressive movement's coattails. In his victory speech, he said, "We the people, not establishment politics, choose our leaders."
- Bennet joins at least two incumbent U.S. senators who lost statewide primary races this year.
What they're saying: "There is an undercurrent that we don't recognize, the pain and the anger that people are feeling, and they've taken it out on the establishment," Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie told Axios.
3. Young people showed up. Early turnout showed voters ages 18–34 cast ballots that surpassed or matched older age groups.
- Kiros benefited from a new generation of voters.
- In the closely watched House District 33 primary anchored in Broomfield, state Rep. Kenny Van Nguyen, one of the youngest members of the Legislature, held a 5-point advantage over Heidi Henkel, who was backed by a super PAC supporting moderate Democrats.
What they're saying: "You have a bunch of 20-something leftists absolutely clobbering well-funded moderates," said Chris Nicholson, a Democratic political strategist.
The bottom line: The election results delivered a message: Progressive challengers — propelled by younger voters eager for fresh leadership — are no longer just protest candidates in Colorado Democratic politics.