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The 2020 United States Senate election in Colorado was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Colorado, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
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Hickenlooper: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Gardner: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Under Colorado law, the filing deadline for U.S. Senate candidates was March 17, 2020, the third Tuesday in March of the election year; the primary election occurred on June 30.[1][2] Incumbent senator Cory Gardner lost re-election to former governor John Hickenlooper.[3] Gardner was unopposed in the Republican primary, and Hickenlooper defeated former State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary.[4]
This race was one of two Republican-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2020 in a state President Trump lost in 2016; the other was in Maine. Many pollsters and pundits[5][6] considered Gardner to be the most vulnerable Republican senator facing re-election in 2020 due to his narrow victory in 2014, the state's leftward shift, and Trump's unpopularity in the state.
As predicted, Hickenlooper easily defeated Gardner by a 9.3-point margin. However, Gardner did manage to outperform Donald Trump in the concurrent presidential election by roughly four points.[7] This became the first election Gardner had lost in his political career as well as being the widest margin of loss for a Coloradan U.S. Senator since 1978.[8] This was the third consecutive election where this seat flipped parties, and also the second consecutive election in which the incumbent senator lost re-election to a second term for this particular seat. At the age of 68, Hickenlooper is the oldest first term senator from Colorado.
Gardner was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, narrowly defeating incumbent Democratic senator Mark Udall in a very successful election year for Republicans. Gardner was widely considered vulnerable in 2020 due to Colorado's recent Democratic trend and his support for Trump.[9] Polling showed that more voters had a negative view of Gardner compared to a positive one.[10] Gardner also faced a four-year grassroots campaign across the state by progressive political activists to hold him accountable for his votes, featured a cardboard cutout dubbed "Cardboard Cory".[11] The seat was expected to be highly competitive and the most likely Republican-held seat to flip Democratic. The Democratic nominee, former governor John Hickenlooper, had a consistent double-digit lead over Gardner in the polls.[12][13]
Various minor scandals in the days leading up to the June 30 Democratic primary sparked speculation that Romanoff might win, but Hickenlooper had an advantage in name recognition, and harsh negative attacks by Romanoff reportedly led many state Democrats and voters to sour on him.[14]
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Cory Gardner (incumbent) | 554,806 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 554,806 | 100.00% |
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Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Jena Griswold |
John Hickenlooper |
Mike Johnston |
Andrew Romanoff |
Other / Undecided | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SurveyUSA[96] | June 19–24, 2020 | 575 (LV) | ± 6.0% | – | 58% | – | 28% | 15%[d] | |
Myers Research and Strategic Services[97][A] | June 16–17, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | – | 51% | – | 39% | – | |
Unspecified polling firm[98][A] | October 2019 | – (LV)[e] | – | – | 68% | – | 19% | – | |
Johnston withdraws from the race | |||||||||
Public Policy Polling (D)[99][B] | August 28–29, 2019 | 509 (LV) | – | – | 60%[f] | 3% | 9% | 27%[g] | |
–[h] | 66% | – | 17% | 17%[i] | |||||
Hickenlooper announces his candidacy | |||||||||
Griswold announces that she will not run | |||||||||
Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group[100] | July 25–28, 2019 | 600 (LV) | – | 6% | 61% | 10% | 8% | 15%[d] | |
Public Policy Polling (D)[101] | July 12–14, 2019 | 561 (LV) | – | 4% | 44% | 3% | 12% | 38%[j] | |
Hypothetical polling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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with Dan Baer and John Hickenlooper
with John Hickenlooper and Mike Johnston
with John Hickenlooper and Alice Madden
with John Hickenlooper and Angela Williams
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On March 7, 2020, the Colorado Democratic Party held a non-binding Senate primary preference poll at its caucus sites. Attendees could choose delegates to county and then state conventions. If a candidate received at least 30% of the delegates at the state convention they would be placed on the ballot. Some candidates were not listed because they instead chose to attempt to collect signatures to reach the ballot. Candidates needed 1,500 signatures from each congressional district. Hickenlooper and Underwood chose to do both. Romanoff collected the needed signatures as of March 8, 2020.[102][103]
Romanoff was the only candidate to get more than 30% in the initial precinct caucuses. Hickenlooper withdrew from the assembly process soon afterward, choosing to qualify for the ballot exclusively by petition. Ballot access for assembly candidates will be decided at the state assembly. Caucus winners do not always receive the party's nomination; Romanoff won them in the 2010 Democratic primary for Colorado's Senate race, but Michael Bennet won the party's nomination that year.[104]
The aggregate results of the various precinct caucuses on March 7, 2020, were:[105]
Candidate | Total raw votes | Percentage of vote won (%) |
---|---|---|
Andrew Romanoff | 8,629 | 54.98 |
John Hickenlooper | 4,761 | 30.34 |
Trish Zornio | 976 | 6.21 |
Stephany Rose Spaulding | 771 | 4.91 |
Uncommitted | 520 | 3.31 |
Erik Underwood | 35 | 0.22 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | John Hickenlooper | 585,826 | 58.65% | |
Democratic | Andrew Romanoff | 412,955 | 41.35% | |
Total votes | 998,781 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Libertarian | Raymon Doane | 3,477 | 62.41% | |
Libertarian | Gaylon Kent | 2,094 | 37.59% | |
Total votes | 5,571 | 100.00% |
Host | Date & time | Link(s) | Participants | |
---|---|---|---|---|
John
Hickenlooper |
Cory Gardner | |||
Colorado State University | October 13, 2020 6:00pm MDT |
[119] | Present | Present |
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[120] | Lean D (flip) | October 29, 2020 |
Inside Elections[121] | Lean D (flip) | October 28, 2020 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[122] | Likely D (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
Daily Kos[123] | Likely D (flip) | October 30, 2020 |
Politico[124] | Lean D (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
RCP[125] | Lean D (flip) | October 23, 2020 |
DDHQ[126] | Likely D (flip) | November 3, 2020 |
538[127] | Likely D (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
Economist[128] | Likely D (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Cory Gardner (R) |
John Hickenlooper (D) |
Other / Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keating Research/Onsight Public Affairs/Colorado Sun[142] | October 29 – November 1, 2020 | 502 (LV)[k] | ± 4.4% | 42% | 53% | – |
Data for Progress[143] | October 27 – November 1, 2020 | 709 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 45% | 54% | 2%[l] |
Swayable[144] | October 23 – November 1, 2020 | 443 (LV) | ± 6% | 43% | 57% | – |
Morning Consult[145] | October 22–31, 2020 | 727 (LV) | ± 4% | 44% | 52% | – |
Morning Consult[145] | October 11–20, 2020 | 788 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 50% | – |
RBI Strategies & Research[146] | October 12–16, 2020 | 502 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 39% | 53% | 7%[m] |
RMG Research/PoliticalIQ[147] | October 9–15, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 51% | 7%[n] |
Civiqs/Daily Kos[148] | October 11–14, 2020 | 1,013 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 42% | 53% | 3%[o] |
Keating Research/OnSight Public Affairs/Melanson[149] | October 8–13, 2020 | 519 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 41% | 51% | 7%[p] |
Morning Consult[145] | October 2–11, 2020 | 837 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 40% | 50% | – |
YouGov/University of Colorado[150] | October 5–9, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 4.64% | 40% | 48% | 12%[q] |
SurveyUSA[151] | October 1–6, 2020 | 1,021 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 39% | 48% | 14%[r] |
Morning Consult[152] | September 11–20, 2020 | 613 (LV) | ± (2% – 7%) | 42%[s] | 49% | – |
Morning Consult[153] | September 8–17, 2020 | 599 (LV)[k] | ± (2% – 4%) | 44% | 46% | – |
Fabrizio Ward/Hart Research Associates[154][C] | August 30 – September 5, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 46% | 51% | 4%[t] |
Global Strategy Group (D)[155][D] | August 28 – September 1, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 52% | 5% |
Morning Consult[156] | August 21–30, 2020 | 638 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 39%[s] | 48% | 13% |
Morning Consult[156] | August 16–25, 2020 | ≈600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 39% | 48% | – |
Public Policy Polling (D)[157][E] | August 18–19, 2020 | 731 (V) | ± 3.2% | 42% | 51% | 7%[u] |
Morning Consult[156] | August 6–15, 2020 | ≈600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 38% | 49% | – |
Morning Consult[156] | July 27 – August 5, 2020 | ≈600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 39% | 50% | – |
Morning Consult[158] | July 17–26, 2020 | 616 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42%[v] | 48% | 11%[w] |
Morning Consult[156] | July 13–22, 2020 | ≈600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 41% | 50% | – |
Public Policy Polling[159][F] | June 29–30, 2020 | 840 (V) | ± 3.4% | 40% | 51% | 9%[x] |
Keating Research/OnSight Public Affairs/Melanson[160] | May 1–3, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 36% | 54% | 10%[y] |
Montana State University Bozeman[161] | April 10–19, 2020 | 379 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 31% | 48% | 21%[z] |
Keating Research[162] | October 10–14, 2019 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 42% | 53% | 5% |
Emerson College[163] | August 16–19, 2019 | 1,000 (RV) | ± 3.0% | 40% | 53% | 8% |
Global Strategy Group (D)[164][G] | August 13–14, 2019 | 617 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 39% | 49% | 13% |
Public Policy Polling[165][B] | August 8–11, 2019 | 739 (V) | ± 3.6% | 38% | 51% | 12% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Cory Gardner (R) |
Generic Democrat |
Other / Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Global Strategy Group (D)[164][G] | August 13–14, 2019 | 617 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 38% | 48% | 14% |
Global Strategy Group[166] | January 31 – February 4, 2019 | 818 (RV) | ± 3.4% | 40% | 51% | 9% |
DFM Research[167] | January 2–5, 2019 | 550 (A) | ± 4.2% | 38% | 46% | 16% |
Change Research (D)[168][H] | December 2–4, 2018 | 540 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 41% | 47% | – |
Public Policy Polling (D)[169][I] | August 2–3, 2017 | 628 (V) | ± 3.8% | 41% | 46% | 13% |
Public Policy Polling (D)[170][J] | June 30 – July 1, 2017 | 870 (V) | ± 3.6% | 39% | 53% | 8% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Generic Republican |
Generic Democrat |
Other / Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
YouGov/University of Colorado[150] | October 5–9, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 4.64% | 39% | 47% | 14%[ab] |
Climate Nexus[172] | February 15–19, 2020 | 485 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 40% | 48% | 12%[ac] |
Fabrizio Ward/AARP[171] | July 29–31, 2019 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 44% | 14%[ad] |
with generic Democrat
on whether Cory Gardner deserves to be re-elected
with Generic Republican and Generic Democrat
with Mike Johnston
The election was not particularly close, with Hickenlooper winning by 9.32%. Hickenlooper's win was expected, as Colorado has moved more toward being a blue state. Key to Hickenlooper's victory was Denver County and its surrounding suburban counties, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, and Jefferson, the latter of which had been pivotal to Gardner's victory in 2014.[citation needed] Gardner did well in the typically red El Paso County, home of Colorado Springs. Gardner also did well in many rural areas of the state. However, Hickenlooper's strong performance in heavily populated counties proved too much for Gardner to overcome. Hickenlooper was also likely helped by Joe Biden, who won the state by 13.5%.
Hickenlooper is the first senator from Colorado who was also the Governor of Colorado since Senator Edwin Johnson was elected in 1936. Hickenlooper was sworn in as Senator on January 3, 2021, for a six-year term that expires on January 3, 2027.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | John Hickenlooper | 1,731,114 | 53.50% | +7.24% | |
Republican | Cory Gardner (incumbent) | 1,429,492 | 44.18% | −4.03% | |
Libertarian | Raymon Doane | 56,262 | 1.74% | −0.85% | |
Approval Voting | Daniel Doyle | 9,820 | 0.30% | N/A | |
Unity | Stephen Evans | 8,971 | 0.28% | −0.04% | |
Total votes | 3,235,659 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
By county | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
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Hickenlooper won four of seven congressional districts.[176]
District | Gardner | Hickenlooper | Representative |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 24% | 74% | Diana DeGette |
2nd | 36% | 62% | Joe Neguse |
3rd | 52% | 45% | Scott Tipton |
Lauren Boebert | |||
4th | 59% | 39% | Ken Buck |
5th | 57% | 40% | Doug Lamborn |
6th | 42% | 56% | Jason Crow |
7th | 39% | 58% | Ed Perlmutter |
Partisan clients
Voter samples
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