The 2016 Colorado State Board of Regents at-large election took place on November 8, 2016, to elect the next CU Regent. Incumbent Republican CU Regent Steve Bosley was term-limited and could not seek re-election.[1] Republican candidate Heidi Ganahl narrowly won the general election by 2.2%, defeating Democratic candidate and former Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives Alice Madden. With this win, Republicans maintained their majority in the CU Regents, which lasted until 2020.[2][3][4]
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| Turnout | 74.39%  | ||||||||||||||||
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   Ganahl: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Madden: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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This was the last election for this at-large seat. It would later be abolished in 2022, reducing the at-large seats down to one. To date, this is the last time Republicans won a statewide election in Colorado.[5]
Background
editThe State Board of Regents' nine voting members are chosen in biennial partisan elections and serve staggered six-year terms. One regent is elected to represent each of Colorado's congressional districts and two at the time were elected by the state at-large.[6]
Members after the 2016 elections
edit| District | Representative | Party | Residence | Term expired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John "Jack" Kroll | Democratic | Denver | 2023 |
| 2nd | Linda Shoemaker | Democratic | Boulder | 2021 |
| 3rd | Glen Gallegos | Republican | Grand Junction | 2019 |
| 4th | Sue Sharkey | Republican | Castle Rock | 2023 |
| 5th | Kyle Hybl | Republican | Colorado Springs | 2019 |
| 6th | John Carson | Republican | Highlands Ranch | 2021 |
| 7th | Irene Griego | Democratic | Lakewood | 2021 |
| At large | Heidi Ganahl | Republican | Boulder | 2023 |
| At large | Stephen C. Ludwig | Democratic | 2019 |
Republican primary
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Heidi Ganahl | 268,275 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 268,275 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alice Madden | 235,707 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 235,707 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Heidi Ganahl | 1,293,651 | 51.11% | +0.59% | |
| Democratic | Alice Madden | 1,237,693 | 48.89% | +4.95% | |
| Total votes | 2,531,344 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
By congressional district
editGanahl won 4 of 7 congressional districts.[10]
| District | Ganahl | Madden | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 32% | 68% | Diana DeGette |
| 2nd | 45% | 55% | Jared Polis |
| 3rd | 56% | 44% | Scott Tipton |
| 4th | 64% | 36% | Ken Buck |
| 5th | 65% | 35% | Doug Lamborn |
| 6th | 51% | 49% | Mike Coffman |
| 7th | 47% | 53% | Ed Perlmutter |
Analysis
editHeidi Ganahl won the election by a 2.2% margin. This is the most recent Republican win in a statewide election in Colorado.[5] Ganahl was competitive in the suburbs of the heavily populous North Central Colorado Urban Area, which contains the state capital Denver plus its surrounding suburbs Aurora, Thornton, Lakewood, and Broomfield; in addition to other major cities Boulder and Fort Collins, home to the University of Colorado and Colorado State University respectively. Ganahl won Jefferson and Larimer Counties, and kept Adams and Arapahoe Counties close as well as the city of Broomfield. Ganahl ran up the margins in suburban Douglas and El Paso Counties, getting 66.5% of the vote in Douglas and 64.3% of the vote in El Paso.
Alice Madden won a long row of counties along the Rocky Mountains from Routt in the north to La Plata in the south, which contains a number of liberal leaning ski resort towns like Telluride, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs, however she was not able to perform that well in them. Despite Madden underperforming other Democrats in 2016, she was able to do well in southern Colorado, where there is a higher Hispanic population. Most notably, she was able to win Conejos, Huerfano, and Pueblo Counties, and did very well in Las Animas and Saguache Counties.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Seltzer, Rick. "A Regents Race That Matters". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Post, Sarah Kuta | Special to The Denver (November 9, 2016). "With Heidi Ganahl win, Republicans retain majority on CU Board of Regents". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Kuta, Sarah (November 8, 2016). "With Heidi Ganahl win, Republicans retain majority on CU Board of Regents". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Colorado University Regents-At-Large Results: Heidi Ganahl Leads". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Paul, Jesse (September 10, 2021). "Republican Heidi Hanahl files to run for Colorado governor in 2022". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2021. "The University of Colorado regent, who is the only Republican official who holds statewide office, was expected to formally announce her bid next week."
- ^ "Current Regents". University of Colorado. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Primary results" (PDF).
- ^ "Primary results" (PDF).
- ^ "2016 General Election Results". www.sos.state.co.us. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "State of Colorado Elections Database » 2016 Nov 8 :: General Election :: Attorney General :: State of Colorado". State of Colorado Elections Database. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ "2016 General Election Results". www.sos.state.co.us. Retrieved July 1, 2024.