All U.S. House districts, including the 7th Congressional District of Colorado, held elections in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 15, 2022.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

Republicans won a 222-213 majority in the U.S. House in 2022.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 55.7% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 41.5%.^[1]

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Brittany Pettersen defeated Erik Aadland, Ross Klopf, Critter Milton, and JP Lujan in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brittany Pettersen (D)	56.4	204,984
	Erik Aadland (R)	41.4	150,510
	Ross Klopf (L)	1.7	6,187
	Critter Milton (Unity Party)	0.5	1,828
	JP Lujan (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	92

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 363,601
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Brittany Pettersen advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brittany Pettersen	100.0	71,497

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,497
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Kyle Faust (D)
Julius Mopper (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Erik Aadland defeated Tim Reichert and Laurel Imer in the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erik Aadland	47.9	43,469
	Submit photo	Tim Reichert	35.9	32,583
		Laurel Imer	16.2	14,665

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,717
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Brad Dempsey (R)
Carl Andersen (R)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Colorado

Election information in Colorado: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Oct. 31, 2022
Online: Oct. 31, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 31, 2022
By mail: Received by Oct. 31, 2022
Online: Oct. 31, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Erik-Aadland.PNG

Erik Aadland (R)

The Economy: I will fight to restore affordability and opportunity by reducing spending, lowering, taxes, and enacting smart regulations.

Public Safety: I will advocate for Congress to recommit to public safety. This starts with securing our southern border and stopping the flow of deadly Chinese-manufactured fentanyl into our communities. In addition, we must deal with out-of-control crime by restoring respect for law enforcement and ending all attempts to defund the police.

Sustainable Energy Independence: Wise use of existing sources of energy, coupled with well-researched, market-proven emerging technologies, will enhance lifestyles for everyone while preserving our planet for future generations.

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ross-Klopf.PNG

Ross Klopf (L)

Protection of your constitutional rights

Protect the economy and ending out of control inflation

Protect the environment

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JP-Lujan.PNG

JP Lujan (Independent)

Combat extremism. Vote them out and fight back. When they go low, we go lower. Together, we can be the groundswell that shakes them off of their feet.

Restore checks and balances. Political divides in Congress have stagnated their efficacy, opening opportunities for the President to legislate from the Oval Office and the Supreme Court to do so from the bench.

Restore the Constitution. The time to address Constitutional crises is before they happen. The framers created the amendment process for a reason. It is time for the supreme law of the land to reflect the will of the people.

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/CritterMilton.png

Critter Milton (Unity)

Unity

Unity

Unity

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Erik Aadland (R)

I am passionate about restoring the promise of the American Dream. This does not mean a specific set of outcomes, but rather the salutary conditions to reach any outcome our citizens desire. As the Declaration of Independence says, our natural rights are those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Governance that protects those rights also establishes equality of opportunity, rewarding of personal responsibility, and equal treatment under just laws. In particular, two of the public policy solutions that I intend to pursue in Congress are (a) a balanced budget and (b) choice for parents in their children’s education. Both of these policy areas deal directly with creating opportunity for our citizens in the future, giving them capacity and liberty to reach their potential.

Ross Klopf (L)

Free markets, civil liberties, fiscal responsibility, ending inflation, following the constitution, no more corporate bailouts!

JP Lujan (Independent)

What areas am I not passionate about? There are so many issues across so many domains of public policy that stand to profoundly affect our daily lives. First and foremost is human rights: women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, children's rights, workers' rights, and immigrants' rights. A rising tide raises all ships, and any republic is only ever as free as its most marginalized and disenfranchised constituents. In terms of policy, this can span domains from education to criminal code to infrastructure. Our children deserve more robust education, and their educators deserve greater pay and benefits for their important work. Our rural workers have been left behind, and lending them the support they need is a huge step toward healing the divide in our nation. No working American should be at risk of going hungry or losing their home. These are the issues that really matter to me, and there are several areas of public policy in dire need of redress and revision to adequately address them.

Critter Milton (Unity)

All, I am able to digest and discuss any topic.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Erik Aadland (R)

I have always held my father as a role model. He has constantly displayed exceptional integrity and strength of character, both in private life as a husband and father as well as in his many years of service to our country as a career U.S. Army officer.

JP Lujan (Independent)

As a naturally inquisitive person with a broad set of interests, I have so many influences and always seek to cull from the best characteristics of those influences while learning from their mistakes and taking a more cautious approach to emulating potential character flaws. I harbor great admiration for public servants and leaders, athletes, thinkers, and creatives. I love the fighting spirit of athletes like Mohamed Ali, for instance. I appreciate some of the work and legacies of progressive leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. I harbor deep appreciation for thinkers like Kant and Voltaire. Most recently, I have fallen deeply in love with the world of podcasting. I feel that many personalities in this medium are unsung heroes of our media landscape. Comedians, creatives, and journalists turned satirists and armchair historians come to mind. They fill a vital niche in public discourse by having fun and putting humorous spins on history and current events, shedding light on uncomfortable issues for their audiences without fear-mongering. Just a few names that may be obscure to some but dear to me include Dan Friesen, Jordan Holmes, Robert Evans, Julian Feeld, Travis View, and Jake Rockatansky. Above all, no one is perfect. I think it's important to take note of how my influences comported themselves in specific instances and give as much attention to the examples that should not be followed as to the examples I would like to follow. I think this approach is the key to becoming an exemplar in one's own right.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Erik Aadland (R)

I would recommend Jung and Politics by Volodymyr Walter Odajnyk. Prior to entering politics, I actually sought to become a counselor for veterans and trauma victims—after my time in the military and private sector, I sought to bring healing. However, while pursuing my PhD, I began to see how lost and broken the world as a whole was becoming, and I realized that I needed to help people on a greater than 1:1 scale. Nonetheless, I completed my master’s degree in Depth Psychology, a modality which is based on the work of Carl Jung. I appreciate the application of Jungian principles to politics because Jung believed both in balance between all things and in the importance of the fundamental rights of the individual.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

JP Lujan (Independent)

Honesty, integrity, authenticity, and empathy. These four characteristics guide my whole life and are essential to being a decent, neighborly person. Those same things we admire in one another and seek to embody in being "good" or morally upright people are the same things we need to be seeking in our elected officials. If those are granted primacy, everything else follows suit.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

JP Lujan (Independent)

I genuinely care about my fellow human beings. I want to help, and I want to facilitate other helpers in their own paths toward making a tangible impact in their communities. I have a strong set of skills with regard to research, and I learn and adapt to new situations quickly. I am, for lack of any better way of putting it, highly intelligent. I have a gift for reviewing, assimilating, and analyzing information very quickly and making meaningful connections between facts and events and their relationship to our human experiences. I stand firm in my principles and convictions, but I am flexible in how I approach their application in my life. I am quick to admit when I am mistaken or when I simply don't know all of the facts I need to take strong positions. I am young, but wise. I have a youthful fire in my belly, but the maturity to make good decisions. I always seek diplomatic resolutions to disagreements, but I do not back down from conflict when left with no other recourse. I believe in the value and dignity of every person, and I acknowledge the humanity of every person I meet, even the ones I hold in the very lowest regard.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Erik Aadland (R)

Beyond my goals in legislation and constituent services, my hope is to leave a Congress that is less divided. Hyper-partisan politics is damaging the effectiveness of government and the integrity of civil society alike. I want to bring back our elected representatives’ ability to work together and seek common ground.

JP Lujan (Independent)

I'm not certain a legacy matters all that much to me. I just want to show my fellow citizens that we still have the power to enact change in a system that has lost touch with our needs. I want to leave the world a kinder, more hospitable place than the one I entered. For my own part, encouraging greater participation in our electoral processes and greater civic literacy and engagement is one of the many tools available to achieve this.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Erik Aadland (R)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is a beautiful and gripping tale encompassing the many joys and vicissitudes of human life. I particularly appreciate how Jean Valjean’s redemption is attained through consistently choosing moral courage even in the face of great injustice.

JP Lujan (Independent)

Fiction: 'The Lord of the Rings,' but don't ask me to pick just one out of the trilogy. Out of the immense horror and trauma of fighting in World War I, Tolkien created an immense world with its own languages and lore to create a compelling narrative full of deep, relatable characters. At the same time, he wrote the many tales of Middle Earth as a sort of cultural restoration project, seeking to hearken back to pre-Norman and even pre-Roman England in the pursuit of a distinctly English mythological tradition. Non-Fiction: Emmanuel Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason.' While there are many good arguments for the superiority of the works of post-Kantian philosophers, the 'Critique' still stands out as wholly novel. Almost all modern and postmodern thought is owed to the 'Critique,' which helped stitch together the dueling rationalist and empiricist schools in the early modern period and lay an entirely new groundwork that still permeates much of philosophical study and scientific inquiry even to this day. The Critique gave the world a framework of how to use our reason to cut through both our own potentially errant perceptions and unhelpful esoterica to discover relevant, useful truths about the world.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

JP Lujan (Independent)

I haven't really thought about this before. My favorite superhero is Son Goku. He lives his entire life training to become stronger, eating like an elephant, and looking out for the people of his world. He also has an almost supernatural ability to befriend just about anyone and even forms deep friendships with people who used to be his mortal enemies. I don't think I would want to be a fictional character, but if given the choice, Goku is a great option.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

JP Lujan (Independent)

I am a very musical person, including writing and playing music. I have my own sort of "mental jukebox," so I rarely get stuck on the same song for very long. To the best of my recollection, I think 'Lithium' by Nirvana wedged itself in my mind a little bit.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

JP Lujan (Independent)

I have faced many, many struggles throughout my life; but nothing extraordinary or special. I am a survivor of abuse in the home and bullying in most every school I attended growing up. I am barely head-above-water in debt - mostly student debt. I find my daily life to be rather droll in the present, still painful from the past, and rather frightening and uncertain looking forward. I have often felt empty, unfulfilled, and disempowered. My struggles are common struggles at the end of the day, and this fact is what drives me to seek to ease the burdens of all of the other survivors and dreamers in the world and the people who are still being subjected to injustices - both interpersonal and systemic.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Critter Milton (Unity)

Unity

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Erik Aadland (R)

Term limits for federal legislators will have a beneficial effect on restoring integrity to our political process, ensuring sounder and more judicious representation for the American people. Colorado instituted term limits for its state legislators. At the federal level, we have term limits for the President. As with the presidency, we would need to amend the Constitution in order to codify this policy for all legislators. (Self-determined term limits are not a feasible solution as they serve only to cede more power to career politicians serving their own ends.)

By establishing term limits for U.S. Representatives and Senators, we curtail the massive advantage afforded incumbents and make elections more competitive; this leads to a more substantive exchange of ideas for better governance. A limited time in office is also conducive to the idea of citizen legislators who do not regard politics as a career, as it removes some of the incentives or temptations to turn away from representing the people in favor of personal agendas or special interests.

I have signed a pledge acknowledging the need for term limits, and I support efforts to enact them.

JP Lujan (Independent)

Term limits are an absolute necessity. Too much time in office breeds complacence, fosters apathy to the people, and opens public servants up to corruption by special interests. Without term limits, elected officials are given too much latitude to lose touch with the will of the people. The legislature tends to move more slowly than the executive in the federal government, thus setting similar limitations to the presidency may be too stringent. However, I think twelve years total between both the House and the Senate is generous and encourages officials to be more productive in office.

Critter Milton (Unity)

I am in favor of term limits because this would encourage career progression for all politicians including members of Congress and past presidents. Many argue that this would cause first term learning curve, but I believe that ongoing transition of power at all levels of government would be healthy for our system.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Erik Aadland (R)

I appreciate the example of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA). Speaker Gingrich possessed both the vision and the coalition-building leadership to design, campaign on the promise of, and pass the legislative bills comprising the Contract with America in 1994. The Contract helped set our nation up for the economic and public safety success of the late 90’s. In many ways, its successor is today’s Commitment to America, whose pillars (An Economy That’s Strong, A Nation That’s Safe, A Future That’s Built On Freedom, A Government That’s Accountable) I enthusiastically support. To learn more about the Commitment, please visit CommitmentToAmerica.com.

JP Lujan (Independent)

No specific representative comes to mind, however a senator does: Charles Sumner. Sumner was a dedicated abolitionist and fiery orator who pulled no punches in his speeches and debates. Sumner called a spade a spade with regard to pro-slavery senators and representatives, and it nearly cost him his life. Despite being brutally attacked by a slaver senator, Sumner remained steadfast in his convictions and demonstrated a significant degree of physical and mental grit by recovering from his assault in a time when medicine was primitive compared to today.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Erik Aadland (R)

One of my campaign’s volunteers has a son who has struggled with addiction. He recently overdosed on fentanyl due to its unknown inclusion in another drug. I can only imagine what an ordeal this was for him and his family.

That accident in this young man’s life is no accident at all on the scale of public policy. Hearing this story has left me more convicted than ever that we must recommit to public safety, including the securing of our southern border by which deadly Chinese-manufactured fentanyl has entered our country in horrifically large quantities.

Tell us your favorite joke.

JP Lujan (Independent)

As a musician, I like to experiment with genre-bending and trying new things. Right now, I am working into an entirely new frontier of Rock. I call it "Battery." It's basically a mix of heavy metal and acid rock. (This is an original I thought of just a few weeks ago and am still tickled by it).

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.^[2] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.^[3] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.

U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022
Report	Close of books	Filing deadline
Year-end 2021	12/31/2021	1/31/2022
April quarterly	3/31/2022	4/15/2022
July quarterly	6/30/2022	7/15/2022
October quarterly	9/30/2022	10/15/2022
Pre-general	10/19/2022	10/27/2022
Post-general	11/28/2022	12/08/2022
Year-end 2022	12/31/2022	1/31/2023

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Brittany Pettersen	Democratic Party	$2,883,824	$2,923,257	$8,400	As of December 31, 2022
Erik Aadland	Republican Party	$1,525,114	$1,503,920	$21,194	As of December 31, 2022
Laurel Imer	Republican Party	$88,684	$88,400	$284	As of September 30, 2022
Tim Reichert	Republican Party	$1,585,826	$1,585,826	$0	As of September 30, 2022
Ross Klopf	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Critter Milton	Unity Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
JP Lujan	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[4]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Race ratings: Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Major party	10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	3/15/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Minor party	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	4/4/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	7/14/2022	Source

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting.
Effect of redistricting - How districts in the state changed as a result of redistricting following the 2020 census.
Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2022 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

District map

	2024 → ← 2020
Colorado's 7th Congressional District
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 15, 2022
	Primary: June 28, 2022; General: November 8, 2022
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Colorado
Race ratings
	Cook Partisan Voter Index (2022): D+4; Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic; Inside Elections: Likely Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
See also
	Colorado's 7th Congressional District; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th; Colorado elections, 2022; U.S. Congress elections, 2022; U.S. Senate elections, 2022; U.S. House elections, 2022; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Below was the map in use at the time of the election, enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle, compared to the map in place before the election.

Colorado District 7
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Colorado District 7
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Effect of redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Colorado after the 2020 census

The table below details the results of the 2020 presidential election in each district at the time of the 2022 election and its political predecessor district.^[8] This data was compiled by Daily Kos Elections.^[9]

2020 presidential results by Congressional district, Colorado
District	2022 district		Political predecessor district
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Colorado's 1st	79.5%	18.2%	75.6%	22.1%
Colorado's 2nd	68.7%	28.8%	63.7%	33.6%
Colorado's 3rd	44.7%	52.9%	46.1%	51.6%
Colorado's 4th	39.5%	58.0%	40.8%	56.6%
Colorado's 5th	43.1%	53.2%	41.8%	54.7%
Colorado's 6th	60.6%	36.8%	58.2%	39.2%
Colorado's 7th	55.7%	41.5%	60.0%	37.1%
Colorado's 8th	50.8%	46.3%	---	---

Competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Colorado.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Colorado in 2022. Information below was calculated on June 1, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Thirty candidates filed to run for Colorado’s eight U.S. House districts, including 12 Democrats and 18 Republicans. That’s 3.75 candidates per district, more than the 2.28 candidates per district in 2020 and the 3.43 in 2018.

This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census, which resulted in Colorado gaining one congressional district. The 30 candidates who filed to run this year were the most candidates running for Colorado’s U.S. House seats since at least 2012, the earliest year for which we have data.

Two seats — the 7th and the newly-created 8th district — were open. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D), who represented the 7th district, didn't file to run for re-election. The two open seats this year were the most open seats in Colorado since at least 2014. There were no open seats in 2020 and 2016, and one open seat in 2018 and 2014.

Six candidates, including incumbent Rep. Doug Lamborn (R), filed to run in the 5th district, the most candidates who ran for a seat this year. There were three contested Democratic primaries, the most since 2018, when five Democratic primaries were contested. There were five contested Republican primaries, the most since at least 2014, the earliest year for which we have data.

Four incumbents faced primary challengers, the most since at least 2014. Two incumbents, Rep. Joe Neguse (D) from the 2nd district and Rep. Jason Crow (D) from the 6th district, didn't face any primary challengers. Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all eight districts, so no seats are guaranteed to either party this year.

Presidential elections

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+4. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Colorado's 7th the 175th most Democratic district nationally.^[10]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Colorado's 7th based on 2022 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
55.7%	41.5%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Colorado, 2020

Colorado presidential election results (1900-2020)

13 Democratic wins
18 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Colorado and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Colorado
	Colorado	United States
Population	5,773,714	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	103,636	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	81.5%	70.4%
Black/African American	4.1%	12.6%
Asian	3.2%	5.6%
Native American	0.9%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.2%
Other (single race)	4.1%	5.1%
Multiple	5.9%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	21.7%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	92.1%	88.5%
College graduation rate	41.6%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$75,231	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	9.8%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

State party control

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Colorado's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	4	6
Republican	0	3	3
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	7	9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Colorado's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Colorado, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jared Polis
Lieutenant Governor	Dianne Primavera
Secretary of State	Jena Griswold
Attorney General	Phil Weiser

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Colorado General Assembly as of November 2022.

Colorado State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	21
	Republican Party	14
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Colorado House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	41
	Republican Party	23
	Vacancies	1
Total		65

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Colorado was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Colorado Party Control: 1992-2022
Ten years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

District history

2020

Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Democratic primary)

Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Incumbent Ed Perlmutter defeated Casper Stockham, Ken Biles, David Olszta, and Steve Zorn in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ed Perlmutter (D)	59.1	250,525
	Casper Stockham (R)	37.6	159,301
	Ken Biles (L)	2.7	11,510
	David Olszta (Unity Party)	0.6	2,355
	Steve Zorn (D) (Write-in)	0.0	0

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 423,691
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Anthony Malgieri (Independent)
James Treibert (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Incumbent Ed Perlmutter advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ed Perlmutter	100.0	125,880

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 125,880
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nathan Clay (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Casper Stockham advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Casper Stockham	100.0	52,488

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,488
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Ken Biles advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on April 13, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Ken Biles (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Unity Party convention

Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7

David Olszta advanced from the Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on April 4, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		David Olszta (Unity Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Incumbent Ed Perlmutter defeated Mark Barrington and Jennifer Nackerud in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ed Perlmutter (D)	60.4	204,260
		Mark Barrington (R)	35.4	119,734
	Submit photo	Jennifer Nackerud (L)	4.1	14,012
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	61

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 338,067 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nathan Clay (Independent)
Marcus France (Unaffiliated)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Incumbent Ed Perlmutter advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ed Perlmutter	100.0	81,991

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 81,991
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Mark Barrington advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Barrington	100.0	46,028

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 46,028
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Ed Perlmutter (D) defeated George Athanasopoulos (R) and Martin Buchanan (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in June.^[11]^[12]^[13]

**U.S. House, Colorado District 7 General Election, 2016**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ed Perlmutter Incumbent	55.2%	199,758
	Republican	George Athanasopoulos	39.8%	144,066
	Libertarian	Martin Buchanan	5%	18,186
Total Votes				362,010
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

Primary candidates:^[14]

Democratic

Ed Perlmutter - Incumbent^[11]

Republican

George Athanasopoulos^[11]

Third Party/Other

Martin Buchanan (Libertarian)^[15]

Withdrew:
Shawn Carlson (D)^[16]

2014

See also: Colorado's 7th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 7th Congressional District of Colorado held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Ed Perlmutter (D) defeated Don Ytterberg (R) in the general election.

**U.S. House, Colorado District 7 General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ed Perlmutter Incumbent	55.1%	148,225
	Republican	Don Ytterberg	44.9%	120,918
Total Votes				269,143
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

June 24, 2014, primary results

Democratic Primary

Ed Perlmutter - Incumbent a

Republican Primary

Don Ytterberg a

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
↑ Political predecessor districts are determined primarily based on incumbents and where each chose to seek re-election.
↑ Daily Kos Elections, "Daily Kos Elections 2020 presidential results by congressional district (old CDs vs. new CDs)," accessed May 12, 2022
↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed May 2, 2016
↑ Politico, "Colorado House Primaries Results," June 28, 2016
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed September 5, 2016
↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
↑ Buchanan for Congres, "Home," accessed April 6, 2016
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," April 4, 2016

[show]

Colorado's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Michael Bennet (D)

John Hickenlooper (D)

Representatives

District 1

Diana DeGette (D)

District 2

Joe Neguse (D)

District 3

Jeff Hurd (R)

District 4

Lauren Boebert (R)

District 5

Jeff Crank (R)

District 6

Jason Crow (D)

District 7

Brittany Pettersen (D)

District 8

Gabe Evans (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)

[1] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022

[2] Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.

[3] Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022

[4] Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.

[5] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018

[6] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018

[7] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018

[8] Political predecessor districts are determined primarily based on incumbents and where each chose to seek re-election.

[9] Daily Kos Elections, "Daily Kos Elections 2020 presidential results by congressional district (old CDs vs. new CDs)," accessed May 12, 2022

[10] Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023

[list16-11] 11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed May 2, 2016

[primary16-12] Politico, "Colorado House Primaries Results," June 28, 2016

[genlist16-13] Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed September 5, 2016

[listedalph-14] Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.

[15] Buchanan for Congres, "Home," accessed April 6, 2016

[list1-16] Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," April 4, 2016

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Colorado	2022 primaries	2022 U.S. Congress elections

Colorado congressional delegation Voting in Colorado Colorado elections: 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

Colorado's 7th Congressional District election, 2022

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General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

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Colorado District 7until January 2, 2023

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2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

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Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

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Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7

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Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 7

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 7

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

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Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 7

2016

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