Colorado Democrats may have lost their supermajority in the Colorado House, after Republicans appeared to flip three seats from blue to red.
If current results hold, Democrats will still go into the 2025 legislative session in January with a wide 43-22 majority but Republican political consultant Tyler Sandberg said the GOP gains are huge given that the party’s numbers have been shrinking for years.
“For the last 10 years House Republicans have lost seats every cycle,” said Sandberg. He credited the turnaround to House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese’s ability to raise a lot of money. She was selected to lead the caucus at the beginning of 2024. The success comes despite Republican infighting and an unsuccessful challenge to try and oust the GOP state party chair.
With a recount still looming, it appears Republican Rebecca Keltie may have narrowly defeated Democratic Rep. Stephanie Vigil in House District 16 in Colorado Springs. Former Republican lawmaker Dan Woog of Frederick defeated Democrat Jillaire McMillan of Longmont in House District 19, in a race that didn’t have an incumbent. Democratic Rep. Mary Young of Greeley previously conceded her loss to Republican Ryan Gonzalez in House District 50.
In a written statement, Pugliese said voters spoke loudly to support a lower cost of living and a thriving economy. She also pushed back on social media against Speaker Julie McCluskie’s characterization of the election. McCluskie said in a statement that “the priorities of the MAGA GOP will be stopped dead in their tracks by voters who elected an overwhelming majority of legislative Democrats.”
Pugliese called the Speaker’s comment, cheap rhetoric and noted that the Speaker is the leader of the whole House, not just partisan interests.
“Voters demanded balance this election.”
But Democrats downplayed the impact of the losses.
“These results will have very little practical implications, but they do show that the Republican party in Colorado is still as lost as they have ever been,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Monica Duran. She said that even with the loss of three seats Democrats still hold their second-largest majority since the 1960s.
Duran added that she has a good working relationship with Pugliese and wants to find common ground with the minority party when possible.
“I have a number of Republicans in my family, including my two sons who are proud MAGA supporters as they remind me all the time,” Duran said. “I am always willing to work with lawmakers across the aisle.”
The loss of the Democratic supermajority won’t change how the chamber functions on a daily basis. One or two committees will lose a Democratic seat since committee assignments must align with the chamber’s partisan split.
However, it does take a supermajority to amend House rules, refer a constitutional measure to the ballot, and override a Governor’s veto.
In the State Senate the numbers after the election didn’t change, and the margin remained a 23-12 Democratic majority. Both chambers are now one vote shy of a Democratic supermajority.
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