Colorado State Senate elections, 2014
In Colorado, the Republican Party set its sights on claiming the upper house, breaking the state's Democratic trifecta. The Democrats held a one-seat majority in the Senate, and 13 of the 18 seats up for election featured two major party candidates. A shift in the balance was expected to come down to one county, and Republicans did ultimately win enough seats to flip the chamber.[1][2]
A Republican win in the Colorado State Senate, even without wins in the lower house or the governor's mansion, was key, according to former Republican Speaker of the House Frank McNulty. He said,
| “ | If we pick up the Senate and nothing else, we return to 2011 and 2012, where nothing bad happens.[3] | ” |
| —Frank McNulty[1] | ||
President of the Senate Morgan Carroll, a Democrat, told the New York Times that if Gov. John Hickenlooper lost re-election and the Democrats lost the Senate, it would be a step back for her party's legislative advances, such as same-sex marriage.[1]
The Colorado Senate was one of 20 state legislative chambers noted by Ballotpedia staff as being a 2014 battleground chamber. Its partisan difference of one seat amounted to 5.6 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when 16 districts were up for election, a total of six districts were competitive or mildly competitive. Two of those districts, District 19 and District 22, were up for election again in 2014. Both of those districts had a margin of victory of 5 percent or less in 2012.
Elections for the Colorado State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 31, 2014.
Following the general election, the Republican Party gained control of the Colorado State Senate. Previously held by the Democrats with a 1-seat margin 18-17, the Republicans reversed the make-up of the chamber. The Republicans held 18 seats, and the Democrats held 17 seats. The Republican gains broke the state's Democratic trifecta.
Incumbents retiring
A total of six incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Brophy | Senate District 1 | |
| Gail Schwartz | Senate District 5 | |
| Steve King | Senate District 7 | |
| Scott Renfroe | Senate District 13 | |
| Lois Tochtrop | Senate District 24 | |
| Ted Harvey | Senate District 30 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held a slim majority in the Colorado State Senate:
| Colorado State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 18 | 17 | |
| Republican Party | 17 | 18 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Qualifications
| Candidate ballot access |
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
Article 5, Section 4 of the Colorado Constitution states: No person shall be a representative or senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, who shall not be a citizen of the United States, who shall not for at least twelve months next preceding his election, have resided within the territory included in the limits of the county or district in which he shall be chosen; provided, that any person who at the time of the adoption of this constitution, was a qualified elector under the territorial laws, shall be eligible to the first general assembly.
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 5 (27.8%) of the 18 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. Five Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 13 (72.2%) of the 18 districts up for election.
Primary challenges
No incumbents faced primary competition on June 24. Six incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another 12 (66.7%) incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.
Retiring incumbents
Six (33.3%) incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 12 (66.7%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, two Democrats and four Republicans, can be found above.
Context
Heading into the elections, the Democrats controlled the State Senate by the smallest possible margin of one seat. The 2013 recalls of Senate President John Morse (D) and Angela Giron (D) were followed by the attempted recall and resignation of Evie Hudak (D). All three petitions were fueled by gun control legislation passed by the chamber during the 2013 session. Morse and Giron were replaced by Republicans Bernie Herpin and George Rivera, respectively, while Hudak's resignation allowed a Democratic vacancy committee to fill her seat with Rachel Zenzinger (D) and prevent a Republican majority. All three seats were up for election in 2014.
The Colorado State Senate was identified by Louis Jacobson of Governing magazine as one of 17 chambers that were "vulnerable to a change in control in November." Jacobson rated the State Senate contest in Colorado as a "tossup." It was one of four state senates held by a Democratic Party majority that Jacobson rated as tossups; the others being Iowa, Nevada and New York.[4]
Races to watch
- District 19: Incumbent Rachel Zenzinger (D), chosen to replace Evie Hudak (D) in late 2013, could have faced Lang Sias (R), who lost to Hudak by less than 1 percent in 2012. Sias, however, was defeated by Laura J. Woods in the Republican primary. Zenzinger was defeated by Woods in the general election.
- District 22: Incumbent Andrew Kerr (D) won his seat by a margin of victory of 5 percent in 2012. Tony Sanchez defeated Mario Nicolais in the Republican primary. Kerr defeated Sanchez in the general election.
Analysts believed that the two seats up for election in Jefferson County would determine the majority party in 2015. Political analyst Eric Sondermann called Jefferson County "the epicenter of Colorado politics." State Republican Party chair Ryan Call called the county a microcosm of the state, with an even split between Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated registered voters. Call believed that District 19 held more promise for Republicans than District 22.[2]
The primary campaigns were closely contested as well, with the gun-rights group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) endorsing one candidate in each primary and attacking the other for not being conservative enough. RMGO endorsed Woods and Sanchez before stating in an email that since the other candidates did not fill out their anti-gun survey, RMGO assumed they would "vote anti-gun if elected." Nicolais defended himself from the criticism, referencing his concealed carry permit. Sias pointed to his high marks from the National Rifle Association to deflect the accusation. Both RMGO-endorsed candidates won their primary.[2]
List of candidates
District 1
Note: Incumbent Greg Brophy (R) did not run for re-election.
June 24 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
June 24 Republican primary:
Constitution Party candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 2
- No candidates filed to run.
- Kevin J. Grantham
- Incumbent Grantham first assumed office in 2011.
- Kevin J. Grantham
Green Party candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 3
- George Rivera
- George Rivera
November 4 General election candidates:
District 5
Note: Incumbent Gail Schwartz (D) did not run for re-election.
Libertarian Party candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
District 6
- No candidates filed to run.
- Ellen S. Roberts
- Ellen S. Roberts
November 4 General election candidates:
District 7
Note: Incumbent Steve King (R) did not run for re-election.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 9
- No candidates filed to run.
- Kent Lambert
- Kent Lambert
November 4 General election candidates:
District 11
- Bernie Herpin
- Bernie Herpin
November 4 General election candidates:
District 13
Note: Incumbent Scott Renfroe (R) did not run for re-election.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 15
- No candidates filed to run.
- Kevin Lundberg
- Kevin Lundberg
November 4 General election candidates:
District 16
- Jeanne Nicholson
- Jeanne Nicholson
November 4 General election candidates:
District 19
- Rachel Zenzinger
- Rachel Zenzinger
- Laura J. Woods: 6,813
- Lang Sias: 5,484
- Laura J. Woods: 6,813
November 4 General election candidates:
District 20
- Cheri Jahn
- Cheri Jahn
November 4 General election candidates:
District 22
- Andy Kerr
- Andy Kerr
- Tony Sanchez: 6,848
- Mario Nicolais: 3,441
- Tony Sanchez: 6,848
November 4 General election candidates:
District 24
Note: Incumbent Lois Tochtrop (D) did not run for re-election.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 30
Note: Incumbent Ted Harvey (R) did not run for re-election.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 32
- Irene Aguilar
- Irene Aguilar
November 4 General election candidates:
District 34
- Lucia Guzman
- Lucia Guzman
November 4 General election candidates:
See also
External links
- Colorado Secretary of State - Official primary candidate list
- Colorado Secretary of State - Official primary election results
- Colorado Secretary of State - Official general election candidate list
- Colorado Secretary of State - Official general election results
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 New York Times, "Midterms give parties chance for sweeping control of states," August 10, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Denver Post, "2 Jeffco GOP primary battles could dictate control of Colorado Senate," June 8, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Governing, "Democrats Playing Defense in 2014 State Legislative Races", June 23, 2014
