Colorado State Senate elections, 2010
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Elections for the Colorado State Senate were held in Colorado on November 2, 2010. State senate seats in 19 of Colorado's 35 districts were on the ballot in 2010. Districts on the ballot were 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 27, 2010, and the primary election day was August 10, 2010.
In Colorado, senators are elected to four-year terms with a limit of two consecutive terms.
The incumbent senator ran for re-election in 13 of the 19 races in 2010 (68.42%). In 3 of the remaining 6 districts, the incumbent was ineligible to run because of term limits.
Democrats lost one seat in the 2010 elections.
- See also: Colorado State Senate and State legislative elections, 2010
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 2 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Colorado State Senate:
| Colorado State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 21 | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 14 | 15 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Colorado State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since Colorado voters approved Issue 5 in 1990. The affirmative vote by Colorado's electorate in Issue 5 altered Section 3 of Article V on the Colorado Constitution to say that Colorado State Senators could serve no more than two 4-year terms in office.
There are 35 Colorado State Senators. In 2010, three incumbents were ineligible to run for the senate again in November. Paula Sandoval also would have been ineligible to run, but she resigned earlier in the year.
The three incumbents who were ineligible to run in November were:
Democrats (2):
Republicans (1):
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Colorado in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 48 | $2,331,554 |
| 2008 | 41 | $2,535,787 |
| 2006 | 44 | $2,935,888 |
| 2004 | 38 | $2,050,430 |
| 2002 | 40 | $4,313,640 |
In the 2010 elections, the candidates running for senate raised $2,331,554 in campaign funds. The top 10 overall contributors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Odom, John | $96,134 |
| Colorado Education Association | $31,625 |
| Colorado Professional Fire Fighters | $29,000 |
| Shuler, Derec | $28,684 |
| Copic Insurance Small Donor Committee | $28,400 |
| Eckstein, Torsten | $25,491 |
| Colorado State Conference of Electrical Workers Small Donor Committee (CSCEW) | $22,000 |
| State Democratic Senate Campaign Fund | $21,488 |
| Colorado Association of Realtors Small Donor Committee | $20,000 |
| Colorado American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations Nonpartisan Small Donor | $19,750 |
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
No incumbents faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
Primary challenges
One incumbent faced competition in the August 10 primary, and he won his primary.
- District 33: Incumbent Democrat Michael Johnston
Retiring incumbents
Six incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 13 incumbents (68%) ran for re-election. Of the 6 incumbents who did not seek re-election, 3 were Democrat and 3 were Republicans.
Incumbents who retired were:
- District 2: Incumbent Republican Ken Kester.
- District 7: Incumbent Republican Josh Penry.
- District 9: Incumbent Republican David Schultheis.
- District 3: Incumbent Democrat Abel Tapia.
- District 16: Incumbent Democrat Dan Gibbs.
- District 20: Incumbent Democrat Maryanne Keller.
Qualifications
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 twentyfive 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.
List of candidates
| Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
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| 2010 State senate elections
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| Parties with candidates |
| Impact of term limits |
| Successful challengers |
| Defeated incumbents |
| State house elections |
| State senate elections |
| State legislative elections |
District 1
August 10 Democratic primary:
August 10 Republican primary:
- Greg Brophy
Incumbent Brophy was first appointed in 2005. - Shawn Rodwell did not appear on the ballot.
- Greg Brophy
November 2 General election candidates:
- Michael A. Bowman 10,080
- Greg Brophy 34,632
District 2
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Gloria Stultz
- John W. Webb did not appear on the ballot.
- Gloria Stultz
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Talon W. Canterbury did not appear on the ballot.
- Kevin J. Grantham 8,138
- Matt Heimerich 4,668
Note: Incumbent Ken Kester (R) reached his term limit and did not run for re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gloria Stultz 18,581
- Kevin J. Grantham 25,902
District 3
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Angela Giron 11,521
- Eric S. Taylor 0
- Angela Giron 11,521
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Alexander Lucero-Mugatu 2,228
- Vera Ortegon 5,513
Note: Incumbent Abel Tapia (D) reached his term limit and did not run for re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Angela Giron 24,827
- Vera Ortegon 20,313
District 5
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Gail Schwartz Incumbent Schwartz was first elected in 2006.
- Gail Schwartz
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Robert E. Rankin
- Wayne Wolf did not appear on the ballot.
- Robert E. Rankin
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gail Schwartz 26,355
- Robert E. Rankin 25,269
District 6
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Bruce Whitehead Incumbent Whitehead was first appointed on August 8, 2009.
- Bruce Whitehead
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Dean Boehler 8,146
- Ellen Roberts 9,363
November 2 General election candidates:
- Bruce Whitehead 22,559
- Ellen Roberts 34,574
District 7
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- August 10 Republican primary:
August 10 Libertarian primary:
Note: Incumbent Josh Penry (R) did not run for re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Claudette J. Konola 15,980
- Steve King 37,533
- Gilbert R. Fuller 2,190
District 9
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Nick Werle did not appear on the ballot.
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Kent Lambert
- Thomas R. McDowell did not appear on the ballot.
- Kent Lambert
Note: Incumbent David Schultheis (R) did not run for re-election
November 2 General election candidates:
- Kent Lambert 42,316
District 11
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- John Morse Incumbent Morse was first elected in 2006.
- John Morse
- August 10 Republican primary:
- August 10 Libertarian primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
Note: Challenge Possible
- John Morse 13,866
- Owen Hill 13,526
- Douglas W. Randall 1,320
District 13
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Scott Renfroe Incumbent Renfroe was first elected in 2006.
- Scott Renfroe
November 2 General election candidates:
- Ken Storck 15,866
- Scott Renfroe 30,182
District 15
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Richard Ball 5,219
- Torsten Eckstein 3,180
- Richard Ball 5,219
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Kevin Lundberg Incumbent Lundberg was first appointed in 2009.
- Kevin Lundberg
November 2 General election candidates:
- Richard Ball 27,135
- Kevin Lundberg 40,040
District 16
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Mark Hurlbert did not appear on the ballot.
- Timothy J. Leonard
Note: Incumbent Dan Gibbs (D) did not run for re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
Note: Challenge Possible
- Jeanne Nicholson 30,882
- Timothy J. Leonard 30,224
District 20
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Cheri Jahn 5,433
- David Ruchman 4,885
- Cheri Jahn 5,433
- August 10 Republican primary:
Note: Incumbent Maryanne Keller (D) reached her term limit and did not run for re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
Note: Challenge Possible
- Cheri Jahn 23,238
- John Odom 21,412
District 22
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Mike Kopp Incumbent Kopp was first elected in 2006.
- Mike Kopp
November 2 General election candidates:
- Mike Daniels 20,851
- Mike Kopp 35,155
District 24
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Lois Tochtrop Incumbent Tochtrop was first appointed in 2004.
- Lois Tochtrop
- August 10 Republican primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Lois Tochtrop 20,750
- Luis Alvarez 17,055
District 30
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- August 10 Republican primary:
- Ted Harvey Incumbent Harvey was first elected in 2006.
- Ted Harvey
November 2 General election candidates:
- Katherine E. Facchinello 22,636
- Ted Harvey 46,261
District 31
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Pat Steadman Incumbent Steadman was first appointed on May 20, 2009.
- Pat Steadman
- August 10 Republican primary:
Constitution Party candidate:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Pat Steadman 22,608
- Douglas R. Smith 9,127
- Clifton Powell 1,697
District 32
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Chris Romer Incumbent Romer was first elected in 2006.
- Chris Romer
- August 10 Republican primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Chris Romer 29,772
- Tyler Kolden 15,610
District 33
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Michael Johnston Incumbent Johnston was first appointed on May 11, 2009.
- Renee Blanchard did not appear on the ballot
- Michael Johnston
- August 10 Republican primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Michael Johnston 33,634
- Lisa Ringle 7,276
District 34
- August 10 Democratic primary:
- Lucia Guzman 6,199 Guzman received a vacancy appointment after the 2009 legislative session in May 2010.
- Joel Judd 3,861
- Lucia Guzman 6,199
- August 10 Republican primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Lucia Guzman 21,273
- Derec C. Shuler 6,121
See also
- Colorado State Senate
- Colorado General Assembly
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
External links
- Denver Post, Election Results, State Senate
- Unofficial list of primary candidates
- Unofficial list of general election candidates
- Colorado Republican Party's list of all 2010 candidates
- Primary election results
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Colorado State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
- Official general election results
Footnotes
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