In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election, Democratic and Republican leaders share different narratives about how the results played out for Colorado.
Republicans point to a “wave” that swept the nation over displeasure with President Barack Obama; Democrats say the re-election of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper over Republican Bob Beauprez dispels that notion.
But Republicans experienced huge wins on Tuesday, ousting Democratic incumbent Mark Udall in the U.S. Senate race, replacing him with U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, a Republican from Yuma, who is considered a GOP star.
Republican Mike Coffman held on to his 6th Congressional District seat against an aggressive challenge by Democrat Andrew Romanoff.
Republicans also took all the major statewide races in Colorado, as well as the state Senate, which was determined Saturday morning. The chamber has flipped from 18 Democrats and 17 Republicans to 18 Republicans and 17 Democrats.
Democrats, meanwhile, will hang onto the House by a razor-thin majority, losing at least three seats. Some of those races remain in flux.
“I think the people of Colorado spoke loud and clear, and Democrats are trying to do their best to put on a happy face,” Gardner told The Durango Herald in an interview Friday.
It has been a whirlwind for Gardner beginning Tuesday. He has spoken with top Republican and Democratic leaders, including President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.
Gardner laughed that when he was out to lunch with his wife, Jaime, on Tuesday, he noticed a call from a Texas number that he didn’t recognize, so he pressed the ignore button. His press secretary then called Jaime and told her that her husband should keep his phone near him. When it rang again, it was George W. Bush wishing him good luck.
“He just ended the call, ‘Talk to ya,’” Gardner chuckled.
During his call with Obama on Wednesday, Gardner said he and the president talked about working together.
“He said, ‘Get some rest because we’re going to keep you busy,’” Gardner recalled.
The senator-elect said the decisive victory did not come as a surprise to his campaign, with turnout and polling numbers both leaning in their favor.
“We really focused on the issues that every Coloradan is focused on. The economy, on the energy issues that our state faces,” Gardner said. “We really represented a better vision for the state of Colorado.”
Colorado Democrats, however, aren’t smiling as much as Gardner. But they’re not willing to admit that a Republican wave swept Colorado. In fact, they say the GOP wave broke on the Centennial State.
“The surge was not as great as I think it’s being painted as,” said Rick Palacio, chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party.
He pointed out that Democrats held the governor’s office and House in Colorado. But Palacio said his party could have done better with get-out-the-vote efforts.
“Perhaps there was a little bit of an enthusiasm gap,” Palacio said, pointing out that voter turnout remained relatively stagnant, despite a new law that mailed ballots to all registered voters in Colorado.
“It’s just a bit of a bump in the road,” he added. “Not to say that we don’t respect the will of the voters, because obviously the voters spoke. We just wish more had turned out.”
Hickenlooper said much of the Democrats’ woes is just a reflection of the mood of the nation.
“This was an especially tough year for incumbents everywhere,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there that are frustrated that their life hasn’t been moving forward the way they always thought it will.”
Progressives shared similar thoughts, suggesting that Hickenlooper’s re-election is proof that Democrats survived.
“A giant red wave swept across our country last night, but progressives in Colorado stood strong against it,” said ProgressNow Colorado executive director Amy Runyon-Harms.
But there are larger questions to answer, such as whether the Democrats’ campaign strategy was effective. The Udall campaign and progressives largely put all their eggs into one basket, which was to paint a “war on women” waged by Republican candidates. That was successful in 2012 and 2010. But was it effective this year?
Long-time Colorado political analyst Bob Loevy said Democrats simply had few narratives to work with this election cycle.
“There literally was nothing else for Udall to run on,” Loevy said. “He couldn’t run on how good things were, he couldn’t brag about his support for President Obama. It was the only issue they had.”
Udall’s camp said the senator was not available for interviews.
Loevy believes it is pretty clear that Democrats were swept in Colorado by a six-year wave that revolts against the president’s party.
“If the only good news for the Democrats is the fact that their governor survived by a whisker, you’ve been the victim of a sweep, and a bad one,” Loevy said.
pmarcus@durangoherald.com