Voters in Colorado elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 15, 2022.

The election filled the Class III Senate seat held by Michael Bennet (D), who first took office in 2009. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in 2022. Democrats retained their majority and gained one net seat, with the Senate's post-election partisan balance at 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.

Thirty-five of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election.^[1] At the time of the election, Democrats had an effective majority, with the chamber split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) having the tie-breaking vote.^[2] Of the seats up for election in 2022, Democrats held 14 and Republicans held 21.

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. Senate Colorado

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Colorado on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Bennet (D)	55.9	1,397,170
		Joe O'Dea (R)	41.3	1,031,693
		Brian Peotter (L)	1.7	43,534
		T.J. Cole (Unity Party)	0.7	16,379
		Frank Atwood (Approval Voting Party)	0.5	11,354
	Submit photo	Tom Harvey (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	29
	Submit photo	Joanne Rock (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	25
	Submit photo	John Rutledge (L) (Write-in)	0.0	9
	Submit photo	Robert Messman (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	8

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,500,201
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Aaron Trevino (Independent)
Teal'c Anderson (Freedom Party)
Aaron Pehrson (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

Incumbent Michael Bennet advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Colorado on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Bennet	100.0	516,985

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 516,985
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Dan Chapin (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

Joe O'Dea defeated Ron Hanks and Daniel Hendricks in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Colorado on June 28, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joe O'Dea	54.4	345,060
	Ron Hanks	45.5	288,483
	Daniel Hendricks (Write-in)	0.0	302

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 633,845
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Approval Voting Party convention

Approval Voting Party convention for U.S. Senate Colorado

Frank Atwood advanced from the Approval Voting Party convention for U.S. Senate Colorado on March 26, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Frank Atwood (Approval Voting Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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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Results analysis

Echelon Insights, a polling and data analysis firm, published an analysis deck called Split Ticket Atlas: Comparative Republican Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Senate Candidate Performance, 2020-2022 in March 2023. The report compared the performance of Republican candidates in 2022 statewide elections. Click here to view the full analysis.

This analysis found that, compared to 2022 gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl (R), O'Dea received 118,830 more votes. The largest differences were in Jefferson (16,429) and El Paso (15,069) counties. Ganahl received the most votes compared to O'Dea in Otero county, where Ganahl received 195 more votes.

Know of additional analysis related to this election? Please email us.

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/TJ-Cole.PNG

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Not Right, Not Left, BUT forward! we need to start moving the country b y passing bills that address key issues

We need to move the country forward by actually addressing, national budget, climate change, economic fairness, and social justice

America is a great country and we need to tlead the world by sticking to our principles and

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

Joe O'Dea (R)

Joe is running to defend working Americans, to be their voice in Washington.

Joe is running to stand-up to all the reckless spending – he will be a leader who is laser focused on reducing the debt.

Joe is running to keep America safe and secure. The honorable men and women who serve and protect deserve two things from us in return – they deserve our gratitude and they deserve our support.

Brian Peotter (L)

Make elections secure

End the Fed

End foreign wars

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

First and foremost, we must bring the business community and the environmental protection community together to make the necessary changes to protect our planet and build businesses that can be strong, profitable and able to reduce toxic emissions.

We need to work on balancing our federal budget through better decision making and oversight. We need to be leaders in the world. We need to be strong enough to challenge the authoritarians and hostrong enough to support those in the world that are oppressed and seek freedom, democracy, and self determination

Reinvigorate the civil rights division of the Justice Department and reorient it toward defending the rights of protected groups.

● Shed greater light on discriminatory practices by requiring transparency. For example: ○ Support SEC rulemakings to make companies report on hiring, pay and procurement by 2 race and other characteristics. ○ Collect the data needed to monitor racial bias in consumer and business lending. ● Enforce HUD rules, such as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, that tie federal funding to progress in reducing segregation.

● Support legislation to limit mandatory arbitration agreements, so employees have the power to take employers to court for discrimination and harassment.

● Require all federal institutions and contractors to conduct implicit bias training with a focus on racial inequities. I will help establish a plan to protect all Americans’ voting rights.

Joe O'Dea (R)

Defending Working Americans. When I say working Americans, I mean small business owners, I mean the people who work, who contribute, who play by the rules. Working Americans are being ignored by Washington.

I want an America for your grandkids and mine that values and rewards hard work.

Washington isn’t focused on working people. And those policies have deep consequences. Out-of-control inflation, taxation, and red tape are destroying the value of work in our country. When everything costs more, your paycheck is worth less, and your work is devalued. That’s wrong.

Here’s something you should know about inflation. The biggest driver of inflation is the embrace of socialism by the political elites in Washington. They are funding a massive expansion of the federal government by printing money – and dumping all that printed money into the economy causes inflation.

Reducing the Debt. Out of control debt at the federal level is a moral issue. We are saddling our kids and grandkids with huge debts that will only be paid for with huge tax increases.

The national debt is currently $28 trillion. That’s more than $85,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. And it’s even more – about $225,000 – for every U.S. taxpayer.

I will be the kind of leader who has the back of the men and women who wear the uniform. That means I will stand with our police and firefighters. And I’ll defend and fight for the men and women in our armed services each and every day.

Brian Peotter (L)

Military adventurism funded by debt is a death sentence for the us dollar. We need a nation strong enough to defend itself long into the future with a national surplus and growing economy.

Trust in elections has been broken due to how Joe Biden stole his position in 2020. We need to bring back the trust by impeachment, trial, and imprisonment of all involved.

The ATF and FBI need to be abolished. They are political organizations enforcing laws to suit political interests.

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

I look up to my parents, and every other person who has worked hard every day of the lives and who have been moral, and good to people in their community. These unsung heroes are the people who make this

world a better place.

Brian Peotter (L)

I look up to Ron Paul, a man of integrity, father of 5, and self learner. Never afraid to be the only vote against something if he knew what was right. Standing up against an entire row of republicans ardently supporting war in the middle east he spoke truth to power.

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

'Playing the game' vol.3 by T.J. Cole

Brian Peotter (L)

Man Economy and the State by Murray Rothbard

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. integrity

2. Passion to move the country forward

3. Ability to listen and compromise

Joe O'Dea (R)

The ability to work across the aisle and to make tough or right decisions even if they might not be popular.

Brian Peotter (L)

Honesty, integrity, morality, and backbone.

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. Hardworking

2. Knowledgeable 3. passionate for public policy

4. Outstanding mediator

Joe O'Dea (R)

Partisanship and political division is the number one threat to America and to our continued prosperity. I’ll be the kind of Senator who works with reasonable people on both sides of the aisle.

Brian Peotter (L)

As someone with an aerospace engineering degree, and career in project management working with large bureaucracies (i.e faa) I can pump the toothpaste out the tube fast.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. Be a passionate and energetic leader that to pushes legislation forward and moves the country forward in positive way.

2. Appoint highly qualified persons to government positions 3. Be a fiscal hawk on government finances and make sure tax dollars are spent wisely

4. Push forward a foreign policy that protects U.S. interests and helps others in the world

Brian Peotter (L)

Appointment of individuals to federal office, management of the budget, and impeachment.

What legacy would you like to leave?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

The we moved the country forward on critical issues of our time.

Brian Peotter (L)

Budget surplus and secure elections.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that i really remember was our landing on the moon. It was an amazing moment. A moment that signaled that our world can be so much more. That we could all come together and explore our galaxy. Most of all it showed our ingenuity in science and our ability to resolve complex scientific issues .

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

My first job was a sweeper boy in an elementary school and I held that job for 2.5 years. It was a wonderful learning experience and I developed a passion for classical music as we listened to it as we cleaned everyday.

Joe O'Dea (R)

One of my very first jobs was washing dishes to pay to attend Mullen High School. I later started my construction company while still in college. That same company today proudly employees over 300 families.

Brian Peotter (L)

My first job was at a small business of three employees. For six years I learned how to run and operate on a budget and deliver on promises. Independence on a daily basis allowed me to grow as an individual to meet results however I saw fit.

What is your favorite book? Why?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Star Trek series

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Bruce Wayne

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Betcha by golly wow

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Dealing with systemic racism in our country. It permeates the fabric of society. We as Americans need to work to heal our past and build a better future.

Brian Peotter (L)

Life is a struggle.

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. Healing the divisiveness in the country. Creatine true social justice

2. Address scientific issues like climate change.

3. Balancing the budget

Brian Peotter (L)

Trust in elections, if this can't be resolved the country will not hold together.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

I believe that term limits are a good thing and pledge to limit myself to two terms

Joe O'Dea (R)

I proudly signed the U.S. Term Limits Pledge, promising to only serve two terms as US Senator.

Brian Peotter (L)

Individual states should have controls over their federal term limits for their states. The real problem is money.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1The United States senate has always served as a moderator on public policy. Its unique powers of approving appointments and treaties. Its longer terms smaller size allows its members more deliberative power and a better chance to develop bipartisan legislation.

Brian Peotter (L)

Six year terms and limited seating allows for personal relationships and coalitions to build in the best interest of the country.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

Experience can be a bonus, but what is truly important is having the passion and work ethic to do a good job. v

Brian Peotter (L)

No. We have seen too much experience in that building and need to average it out. Seniority is not the way people in the real world are awarded positions, and it's time we switched to a merit based system in the Senate committee assignments.

What do you think of the filibuster?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

The filibuster has become a problem in moving the countries business forward. We must find ways to either curtail its power or eliminate it.

Brian Peotter (L)

Keep it.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. Qualifications

2. Experience

3. Interview process

Brian Peotter (L)

Their understanding of the Constitution, vision for their role, and experience to deliver.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. foreign Relations

2. Budget

3. Homeland security

Brian Peotter (L)

Yes

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

T.J. Cole (Unity)

I am an innovator. I would like to set my own path.

Brian Peotter (L)

No.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Brian Peotter (L)

Federal debt limit.

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

1. Qualfications

2. Experience

3. Interview process

Brian Peotter (L)

Same as ant other nominee.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

I will work incredibly hard to build a rapport with senators on both sides of the aisle. Understanding people is critical to building bipartisan relationships and policy.

Brian Peotter (L)

One on one, each relationship will be different. Compromise is a bad thing, a coalition on single issues is a good thing.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

T.J. Cole (Unity)

It is a must

Brian Peotter (L)

No

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.^[3] 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.^[4] 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
Michael Bennet	Democratic Party	$22,252,488	$23,222,572	$740,793	As of December 31, 2022
Ron Hanks	Republican Party	$165,544	$165,543	$1	As of December 31, 2022
Daniel Hendricks	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Joe O'Dea	Republican Party	$10,234,965	$10,134,099	$100,865	As of December 31, 2022
Frank Atwood	Approval Voting Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Brian Peotter	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
John Rutledge	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
T.J. Cole	Unity Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Tom Harvey	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Robert Messman	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Joanne Rock	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.^[5]
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.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Colorado, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely 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

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate 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. Senate candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Major party	1,500 per congressional district	N/A	3/15/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Minor party	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	4/4/2022	Source
Colorado	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	1,000 per congressional district	N/A	7/14/2022	Source

Election history

2020

United States Senate election in Colorado, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Colorado, 2020 (June 30 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Colorado

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Colorado on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Hickenlooper (D)	53.5	1,731,114
		Cory Gardner (R)	44.2	1,429,492
		Raymon Doane (L)	1.7	56,262
	Submit photo	Daniel Doyle (Approval Voting Party)	0.3	9,820
		Stephan Evans (Unity Party)	0.3	8,971
	Submit photo	Bruce Lohmiller (G) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Danny Skelly (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	Michael Sanchez (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,235,659
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Gary Swing (Other)
Joseph Camp (Independent)
Veronique Bellamy (Socialist Party)
Martha Wolf (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

John Hickenlooper defeated Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Colorado on June 30, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Hickenlooper	58.7	585,826
	Andrew Romanoff	41.3	412,955

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 998,781
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

Incumbent Cory Gardner advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Colorado on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cory Gardner	100.0	554,806

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 554,806
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Margot Dupre (R)

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

Raymon Doane defeated Gaylon Kent in the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Colorado on June 30, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Raymon Doane	62.8	4,365
	Gaylon Kent	37.2	2,583

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,948
= 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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Unity Party convention

Unity Party convention for U.S. Senate Colorado

Stephan Evans defeated Joshua Rodriguez in the Unity Party convention for U.S. Senate Colorado on April 4, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Stephan Evans (Unity Party)
		Joshua Rodriguez (Unity Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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

**U.S. Senate, Colorado General Election, 2016**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Bennet Incumbent	50%	1,370,710
	Republican	Darryl Glenn	44.3%	1,215,318
	Libertarian	Lily Tang Williams	3.6%	99,277
	Green	Arn Menconi	1.3%	36,805
	Unity	Bill Hammons	0.3%	9,336
	Independent	Dan Chapin	0.3%	8,361
	Unaffiliated	Paul Noel Fiorino	0.1%	3,216
Total Votes				2,743,023
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

**United States Senate Democratic Primary, 2016**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Bennet Incumbent	100%	262,344
Total Votes				262,344
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

**U.S. Senate, Colorado Republican Primary, 2016**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Darryl Glenn	37.7%	131,125
Jack Graham	24.6%	85,400
Robert Blaha	16.5%	57,196
Jon Keyser	12.5%	43,509
Ryan Frazier	8.7%	30,241
Total Votes		347,471
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

2014

**U.S. Senate, Colorado General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Cory Gardner	48.2%	983,891
	Democratic	Mark Udall Incumbent	46.3%	944,203
	Libertarian	Gaylon Kent	2.6%	52,876
	Independent	Steve Shogan	1.4%	29,472
	Independent	Raul Acosta	1.2%	24,151
	Unity Party of Colorado	Bill Hammons	0.3%	6,427
Total Votes				2,041,020
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

**United States Senate Democratic Primary, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Udall Incumbent	100%	213,746
Total Votes				213,746
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

**United States Senate Republican Primary, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Cory Gardner	100%	338,324
Total Votes				338,324
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

2010

On November 2, 2010, Michael Bennet won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Ken Buck (R), Bob Kinsey (G), Maclyn Stringer (L), Jason Napolitano (Independent Reform), Charley Miller (Unaffiliated) and J. Moromisato (Unaffiliated) in the general election.^[9]

U.S. Senate, Colorado General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Bennet incumbent	48.1%	851,590
	Republican	Ken Buck	46.4%	822,731
	Green	Bob Kinsey	2.2%	38,768
	Libertarian	Maclyn Stringer	1.3%	22,589
	Independent Reform	Jason Napolitano	1.1%	19,415
	Unaffiliated	Charley Miller	0.6%	11,330
	Unaffiliated	J. Moromisato	0.3%	5,767
Total Votes				1,772,190

United States Senate Democratic Primary, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Bennet Incumbent	54.1%	184,714
	Democratic	Andrew Romanoff	45.9%	156,419
Total Votes				341,133
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

United States Senate Republican Primary, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ken Buck	51.6%	211,099
	Republican	Jane Norton	48.4%	198,231
Total Votes				409,330
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

United States Senate Libertarian Primary, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Libertarian	Maclyn "Mac" Stringer	52.5%	1,186
	Libertarian	John Finger	47.5%	1,075
Total Votes				2,261
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2020
U.S. Senate, Colorado
	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 Political Report: Lean Democratic; Inside Elections: Likely Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
See also
	U.S. Senate, Colorado; 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. Senate raceAlaska U.S. Senate raceArizona U.S. Senate raceArkansas U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceColorado U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceGeorgia U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIdaho U.S. Senate raceIllinois U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceIowa U.S. Senate raceKansas U.S. Senate raceKentucky U.S. Senate raceLouisiana U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMissouri U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Hampshire U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Carolina U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate raceOklahoma U.S. Senate raceOregon U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceSouth Carolina U.S. Senate raceSouth Dakota U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceSubmit

See also: Presidential voting trends in Colorado and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Colorado, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Colorado's 1st	Diana DeGette	Democratic	D+29
Colorado's 2nd	Joe Neguse	Democratic	D+17
Colorado's 3rd	Lauren Boebert	Republican	R+7
Colorado's 4th	Ken Buck	Republican	R+13
Colorado's 5th	Doug Lamborn	Republican	R+9
Colorado's 6th	Jason Crow	Democratic	D+9
Colorado's 7th	Open	Democratic	D+4
Colorado's 8th	New Seat	N/A	Even

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Colorado^[10]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Colorado's 1st	79.5%	18.2%
Colorado's 2nd	68.7%	28.8%
Colorado's 3rd	44.7%	52.9%
Colorado's 4th	39.5%	58.0%
Colorado's 5th	43.1%	53.2%
Colorado's 6th	60.6%	36.8%
Colorado's 7th	55.7%	41.5%
Colorado's 8th	50.8%	46.3%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 60.4% of Coloradans lived in one of the state's 21 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 34.5% lived in one of 36 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Colorado was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Colorado following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Colorado county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	21	60.4%
Solid Republican	36	34.5%
Battleground Democratic	2	3.2%
New Democratic	1	1.1%
Trending Republican	3	0.5%
New Republican	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	24	64.7%
Total voted Republican	40	35.3%

Historical voting trends

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

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Colorado

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Colorado.

U.S. Senate election results in Colorado
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	53.5%	44.2%
2016	49.9%	44.3%
2014	48.2%	46.3%
2010	48.1%	46.4%
2008	52.8%	42.5%
Average	50.5	44.7

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Colorado

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Colorado.

Gubernatorial election results in Colorado
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	53.4%	42.8%
2014	49.3%	46.0%
2010	51.1%	36.4% (Constitution Party)
2006	57.0%	40.2%
2002	62.5%	33.7%
Average	54.7	39.8

State partisanship

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

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	5,029,196	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	103,636	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	84%	72.5%
Black/African American	4.2%	12.7%
Asian	3.2%	5.5%
Native American	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.2%
Other (single race)	3.9%	4.9%
Multiple	3.7%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	21.5%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.7%	88%
College graduation rate	40.9%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$72,331	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	10.3%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.

External links

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Footnotes

↑ The special Senate election in California was for the same seat up for regular election. There were, then, 36 total Senate elections for 35 total seats.
↑ Two independents who caucus with Democrats are included with Democrats in the 50-50 split count.
↑ 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
↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[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] The special Senate election in California was for the same seat up for regular election. There were, then, 36 total Senate elections for 35 total seats.

[2] Two independents who caucus with Democrats are included with Democrats in the 50-50 split count.

[3] 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.

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

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

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

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

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

[9] U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013

[10] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

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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

United States Senate election in Colorado, 2022

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General election for U.S. Senate Colorado

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Results analysis

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Campaign finance

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Election history

2020

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General election for U.S. Senate Colorado

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Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Colorado

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Unity Party convention for U.S. Senate Colorado

2016

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2012-2020

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