Guess what gerrymandering looks like. Admittedly, the districting map for Colorado looks better than a lot of them, but it's still intended to give advantage to a party that keeps coming up short of the majority.
Republicans enjoy some pretty healthy "majorities" in many state capitals, and in the US Congress, even though they get less than 50% of the votes - almost across the board.
In the US Senate, they have 50% of the seats, having won 40% of the votes.
We can make allowance for that, knowing it's how Mr Madison set it up - Minority Rights vs Tyranny Of The Majority.
But then, the House - where the majority is suppose to carry the power every time - we see an uncanny resemblance. 49% Republican seats with 30% of the votes.
What's that funky smell?
Boebert in danger of losing
Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has won reelection over Republican challenger Joe O'Dea in Colorado on Tuesday night.
A rumored national red wave, fueled by voter anger over persistent high inflation and rising crime rates in the wake of a historic pandemic, appears to have crashed well outside Colorado's border, leaving Democrats in as commanding a position in the state as the party has held for generations.
“We’re way past sky blue. We’re a … sapphire or something like that," said Eric Sondermann, a veteran independent political commentator who writes regularly for Colorado Politics and the Gazette newspapers.
For the fourth general election running, Democrats have swept every statewide race on the ballot, with Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and State Treasurer Dave Young joining Bennet in the winners' circle.
While a pair of competitive congressional races were still too close to call at 9 p.m., U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, the most prominent elected Republican in the state, appeared to be in danger of losing reelection in the Western Slope-based 3rd Congressional District, and Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo was running ahead of Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer in the state's new 8th Congressional District.
In partial, unofficial returns posted by 9 p.m. Tuesday, Bennet led O'Dea with 55.7% of the vote to his challenger's 41.9%, with more than 1.65 million votes tallied. Libertarian nominee Brian Peotter had 1.4% of the vote.
"Tonight, Colorado sent a resounding message," Bennet said at the Democrats' election night watch party in Denver. "When faced with the decision to continue building on the progress we’ve made or return to policies of the past, Colorado said we are not going back, and, together, we’re going to build a better future for the next generation.
"We won this race because we focused relentlessly on strengthening our economy, saving our democracy and protecting the right to choose — and because Coloradans from every corner of this state joined us in the fight."
Bennet said that after he was declared the winner he received a congratulatory phone call from President Joe Biden, who was sporting a Camp Hale ball cap, commemorating the national monument Biden established last month in Eagle County at Bennet's urging.
In a concession speech delivered to a hushed crowd at a Republican gathering in Greenwood Village, O'Dea said he was disappointed and called the outcome "a tough pill to swallow," adding, "but that's life in the big city."
Said O'Dea: "We fought hard. We competed. We stayed true to our core and our beliefs and our values. And it didn't work out, not this time. But I don't have any regrets at all."
O'Dea congratulated Bennet and urged his former opponent to "lean into his commitments" and work to move the nation "out of this terrible rut of partisanship and gridlock."
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Lauren Boebert closing the gap to Adam Frisch in Colorado's 3rd CD
Democrat Adam Frisch's early lead over Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert endured through election night as initial returns posted in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.
But Wednesday's latest update shows the race tightening.
As of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Democrat leads the incumbent by 147,263 votes to 142,328, a 4,935-vote margin.
The gap shrunk to just over 1 percentage point in the 5:20 a.m. update, with Frisch leading by 3,475 votes. The Associated Press estimates 93% of the vote is in.
AP estimates show outstanding ballots remaining in heavily blue Pueblo, Pitkin and Garfield counties. GOP-favoring Rio Blanco County also has votes waiting to be counted, as do a smattering of other counties across the district.
The unexpectedly competitive race pits Colorado's most prominent Republican politician against the wealthy former Aspen City Council member in the sprawling, Western Slope-based seat.
While most national election forecasters rate the seat as safely Republican, Frisch released internal polling a month ago that showed the race in a statistical dead heat, with the incumbent pulling 47% support to his 45%, with another 7% undecided.
A regular on cable news shows and conservative podcasts, Boebert is among the most vocal members of the House Freedom Caucus and a vigorous defender of former President Donald Trump.
The more reserved Frisch slams what he terms Boebert's "angertainment" approach to politics.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has won reelection over Republican challenger Joe O'Dea in Colorado on Tuesday night.
A rumored national red wave, fueled by voter anger over persistent high inflation and rising crime rates in the wake of a historic pandemic, appears to have crashed well outside Colorado's border, leaving Democrats in as commanding a position in the state as the party has held for generations.
“We’re way past sky blue. We’re a … sapphire or something like that," said Eric Sondermann, a veteran independent political commentator who writes regularly for Colorado Politics and the Gazette newspapers.
For the fourth general election running, Democrats have swept every statewide race on the ballot, with Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and State Treasurer Dave Young joining Bennet in the winners' circle.
While a pair of competitive congressional races were still too close to call at 9 p.m., U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, the most prominent elected Republican in the state, appeared to be in danger of losing reelection in the Western Slope-based 3rd Congressional District, and Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo was running ahead of Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer in the state's new 8th Congressional District.
In partial, unofficial returns posted by 9 p.m. Tuesday, Bennet led O'Dea with 55.7% of the vote to his challenger's 41.9%, with more than 1.65 million votes tallied. Libertarian nominee Brian Peotter had 1.4% of the vote.
"Tonight, Colorado sent a resounding message," Bennet said at the Democrats' election night watch party in Denver. "When faced with the decision to continue building on the progress we’ve made or return to policies of the past, Colorado said we are not going back, and, together, we’re going to build a better future for the next generation.
"We won this race because we focused relentlessly on strengthening our economy, saving our democracy and protecting the right to choose — and because Coloradans from every corner of this state joined us in the fight."
Bennet said that after he was declared the winner he received a congratulatory phone call from President Joe Biden, who was sporting a Camp Hale ball cap, commemorating the national monument Biden established last month in Eagle County at Bennet's urging.
In a concession speech delivered to a hushed crowd at a Republican gathering in Greenwood Village, O'Dea said he was disappointed and called the outcome "a tough pill to swallow," adding, "but that's life in the big city."
Said O'Dea: "We fought hard. We competed. We stayed true to our core and our beliefs and our values. And it didn't work out, not this time. But I don't have any regrets at all."
O'Dea congratulated Bennet and urged his former opponent to "lean into his commitments" and work to move the nation "out of this terrible rut of partisanship and gridlock."
- more -
Lauren Boebert closing the gap to Adam Frisch in Colorado's 3rd CD
Democrat Adam Frisch's early lead over Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert endured through election night as initial returns posted in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.
But Wednesday's latest update shows the race tightening.
As of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Democrat leads the incumbent by 147,263 votes to 142,328, a 4,935-vote margin.
The gap shrunk to just over 1 percentage point in the 5:20 a.m. update, with Frisch leading by 3,475 votes. The Associated Press estimates 93% of the vote is in.
AP estimates show outstanding ballots remaining in heavily blue Pueblo, Pitkin and Garfield counties. GOP-favoring Rio Blanco County also has votes waiting to be counted, as do a smattering of other counties across the district.
The unexpectedly competitive race pits Colorado's most prominent Republican politician against the wealthy former Aspen City Council member in the sprawling, Western Slope-based seat.
While most national election forecasters rate the seat as safely Republican, Frisch released internal polling a month ago that showed the race in a statistical dead heat, with the incumbent pulling 47% support to his 45%, with another 7% undecided.
A regular on cable news shows and conservative podcasts, Boebert is among the most vocal members of the House Freedom Caucus and a vigorous defender of former President Donald Trump.
The more reserved Frisch slams what he terms Boebert's "angertainment" approach to politics.
- more -
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