SafekipediaPolitical party strength in Colorado
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
Political parties play an important role in how Colorado is governed. This article looks at which political parties have had the most influence in the state over time. We will see which party held key jobs, like Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State.
We will also look at the State Senate and State House of Representatives, which help make laws for Colorado. Plus, we will see which party’s person represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
During years when America chose a new president, we will see which party’s candidate got Colorado’s votes too. This helps us understand how Colorado’s politics have changed over the years.
Pre-statehood (1861–1875)
| Year | Executive offices | Territorial Assembly | U.S. Congress | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Secretary of State | Attorney General | Treasurer | Territorial Council | House | Delegate | |
| 1861 | William Gilpin (R) | Lewis Ledyard Weld (NP) | James E. Dalliba (R) | George T. Clark (R) | [?] | [?] | Hiram Pitt Bennet (CR) |
| 1862 | [?] | [?] | |||||
| 1863 | John Evans (R) | Samuel Hitt Elbert (R) | Samuel E. Brown (R) | ||||
| 1864 | Alexander W. Atkins (NP) | [?] | [?] | ||||
| 1865 | [?] | [?] | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) | ||||
| 1866 | Alexander Cummings (R) | Frank Hall (NP) | George W. Chamberlain (R) | Alexander Cameron Hunt (NP) | [?] | [?] | |
| 1867 | John Wanless (NP) | [?] | [?] | George M. Chilcott (R) | |||
| 1868 | Alexander Cameron Hunt (I) | Columbus Nuckolls (NP) | [?] | [?] | |||
| 1869 | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) | ||||||
| 1870 | Edward M. McCook (R) | Henry C. Thatcher (R) | George T. Clark (R) | [?] | [?] | ||
| 1871 | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) | ||||||
| 1872 | [?] | [?] | |||||
| 1873 | Samuel Hitt Elbert (I) | vacant | |||||
| 1874 | Edward M. McCook (R) | John W. Jenkins (NP) | David H. Moffat (NP) | [?] | [?] | ||
| 1875 | John Long Routt (R) | John Taffe (NP) | [?] | [?] | Thomas M. Patterson (D) | ||
1876–present
The table shows which political party held important jobs in Colorado from 1876 until now. These jobs include the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and State Treasurer. The table also shows the parties in the State Senate and State House of Representatives, as well as the parties representing Colorado in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. During years when the United States held a presidential election, it shows which party's candidate won Colorado's electoral votes.
| Year | Executive offices | General Assembly | United States Congress | Electoral votes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Secretary of State | Attorney General | Treasurer | State Senate | State House | U.S. Senator (Class II) | U.S. Senator (Class III) | U.S. House | ||
| 1876 | John Long Routt (R) | Lafayette Head (R) | William Clark (R) | vacant | Fred Z. Solomon (NP) | 19R, 7D | 31R, 18D | Henry M. Teller (R) | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) | James B. Belford (R) | Hayes/ Wheeler (R)  Y |
| 1877 | A. J. Sampson (R) | George C. Corning (NP) | Thomas M. Patterson (D) | ||||||||
| 1878 | |||||||||||
| 1879 | Frederick Walker Pitkin (R) | Horace Tabor (R) | Norman H. Meldrum (R) | Charles W. Wright (R) | Nathan C. Culver (NP) | 36R, 12D, 1GB | Nathaniel P. Hill (R) | James B. Belford (R) | |||
| 1880 | Garfield/ Arthur (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1881 | Charles H. Toll (R) | W. C. Sanders (NP) | 23R, 3D | 36R, 13D | |||||||
| 1882 | George M. Chilcott (R) | ||||||||||
| 1883 | James Benton Grant (D) | William H. Meyer (R) | Melvin Edwards (R) | David F. Urmy (R) | Fred Walsen (NP) | 17R, 9D | Horace Tabor (R) | ||||
| Thomas M. Bowen (R) | |||||||||||
| 1884 | Blaine/ Logan (R)  N | ||||||||||
| 1885 | Benjamin Harrison Eaton (R) | Peter W. Breene (R) | Theodore H. Thomas (R) | George R. Swallow (NP) | 19R, 7D | 35R, 13D, 1I | Henry M. Teller (R) | George G. Symes (R) | |||
| 1886 | |||||||||||
| 1887 | Alva Adams (D) | Norman H. Meldrum (R) | James Rice (R) | Alvin Marsh (R) | Peter W. Breene (NP) | 18R, 8D | 25R, 23D, 1I | ||||
| 1888 | Harrison/ Morton (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1889 | Job Adams Cooper (R) | William Grover Smith (R) | Samuel W. Jones (R) | William Brisbane (NP) | 20R, 6D | 43R, 6D | Edward O. Wolcott (R) | Hosea Townsend (R) | |||
| 1890 | |||||||||||
| 1891 | John Long Routt (R) | William Story (R) | Edward J. Eaton (R) | Joseph H. Maupin (D) | James N. Carlile (NP) | 16R, 10D | 32R, 17D | ||||
| 1892 | Weaver/ Field (Pop) N | ||||||||||
| 1893 | Davis Hanson Waite (Pop) | David H. Nichols (Pop) | Nelson O. McCless (Pop) | Eugene Engley (D) | Albert Nance (NP) | 15R, 12Pop, 8D | 33R, 27Pop, 5D | 2P | |||
| 1894 | |||||||||||
| 1895 | Albert McIntire (R) | Jared L. Brush (R) | Albert B. McGaffey (R) | Byron L. Carr (R) | Harry E. Mulnix (NP) | 18Pop, 16R, 1D | 41R, 14Pop, 10D | 1Pop, 1R | |||
| 1896 | Bryan/ Sewall (D/SvR) N | ||||||||||
| 1897 | Alva Adams (D) | Charles H.S. Whipple (D) | George W. Kephart (NP) | 16R, 14Pop, 4D, 1SvR | 33Pop, 20D, 11R, 1SvR | Henry M. Teller (SvR) | 1Pop, 1SvR | ||||
| 1898 | |||||||||||
| 1899 | Charles S. Thomas (D) | Francis Patrick Carney (Pop) | Elmer F. Beckwith (D) | David M. Campbell (D) | John H. Fesler (NP) | 15SvR, 9Pop, 9D, 2R | 21D, 20Pop, 16SvR, 6R | ||||
| 1900 | Bryan/ Stevenson (D) N | ||||||||||
| 1901 | James Bradley Orman (D) | David C. Coates (D) | David A. Mills (D) | Charles C. Post (R) | James N. Chipley (NP) | 19D, 7Pop, 6SvR, 2R, 1ST | 37D, 13Pop, 8SvR, 7R | Thomas M. Patterson (D) | |||
| 1902 | Warren A. Haggott (R) | ||||||||||
| 1903 | James Hamilton Peabody (R) | Jesse Fuller McDonald (R) | James Cowie (R) | Nathan C. Miller (R) | Whitney Newton (NP) | 24D, 11R | 36R, 29D | Henry M. Teller (D) | 2R, 1D | ||
| 1904 | 3R | Roosevelt/ Fairbanks (R) Y | |||||||||
| 1905 | Alva Adams (D) | Arthur Cornforth (D) | John A. Holmbert (NP) | 19R, 16D | |||||||
| James Hamilton Peabody (R) | Jesse Fuller McDonald (R) | ||||||||||
| Jesse Fuller McDonald (R) | Fred W. Parks (R) | ||||||||||
| 1906 | |||||||||||
| 1907 | Henry Augustus Buchtel (R) | Erastus Harper (R) | Timothy O'Connor (R) | William H. Dickson (R) | Alfred E. Bent (NP) | 24R, 11D | 46R, 19D | Simon Guggenheim (R) | |||
| 1908 | Bryan/ Kern (D) N | ||||||||||
| 1909 | John F. Shafroth (D) | Stephen R. Fitzgarrald (D) | James B. Pearce (D) | John T. Barnett (D) | W. J. Galligan (NP) | 20D, 15R | 53D, 12R | Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D) | 3D | ||
| 1910 | |||||||||||
| 1911 | Benjamin Griffith (R) | Roady Kenehan (NP) | 26D, 9R | 40D, 25R | vacant | ||||||
| 1912 | Wilson/ Marshall (D) Y | ||||||||||
| 1913 | Elias M. Ammons (D) | Fred Farrar (D) | M. A. Leddy (NP) | 24D, 11R | 48D, 17R | John F. Shafroth (D) | Charles S. Thomas (D) | 4D | |||
| 1914 | |||||||||||
| 1915 | George Alfred Carlson (R) | Moses E. Lewis (R) | John E. Ramer (R) | Allison Stocker (NP) | 18R, 17D | 36R, 29D | 3D, 1R | ||||
| 1916 | |||||||||||
| 1917 | Julius Caldeen Gunter (D) | James Pulliam (D) | James R. Noland (D) | Leslie E. Hubbard (D) | Robert H. Higgins (NP) | 18D, 17R | 45D, 20R | ||||
| 1918 | |||||||||||
| 1919 | Oliver Henry Shoup (R) | George Stephan (R) | Victor E. Keyes (R) | Harry E. Mulnix (NP) | 21D, 14R | 41R, 24D | Lawrence C. Phipps (R) | 3R, 1D | |||
| 1920 | Harding/ Coolidge (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1921 | Earl Cooley (R) | Carl Miliken (R) | Arthur Strong (NP) | 24R, 11D | 58R, 7D | Samuel D. Nicholson (R) | |||||
| 1922 | |||||||||||
| 1923 | William Ellery Sweet (D) | Robert F. Rockwell (R) | Russel W. Fleming (D) | Harry E. Mulnix (NP) | 33R, 32D | Alva B. Adams (D) | |||||
| 1924 | Wayne C. Williams (D) | Rice W. Means (R) | Coolidge/ Dawes (R) Y | ||||||||
| 1925 | Clarence Morley (R) | Sterling Byrd Lacy (D) | William Boatright (R) | W. D. MacGinnis (NP) | 21R, 14D | 53R, 12D | |||||
| 1926 | |||||||||||
| 1927 | Billy Adams (D) | George Milton Corlett (R) | Charles Armstrong (R) | Harry E. Mulnix (NP) | 20R, 15D | 43R, 22D | Charles W. Waterman (R) | 2R, 2D | |||
| 1928 | Herbert Fairall (NP) | Hoover/ Curtis (R) Y | |||||||||
| 1929 | Robert E. Winbourn (R) | W. D. MacGinnis (NP) | 24R, 11D | 46R, 19D | 3R, 1D | ||||||
| 1930 | John S. Underwood (R) | ||||||||||
| 1931 | Edwin C. Johnson (D) | Clarence L. Ireland (R) | John M. Jackson (NP) | 22R, 13D | 34D, 31R | Edward P. Costigan (D) | |||||
| 1932 | Walter Walker (D) | Roosevelt/ Garner (D) Y | |||||||||
| 1933 | Edwin C. Johnson (D) | Ray Herbert Talbot (D) | Paul P. Prosser (D) | Homer Bedford (D) | 26D, 9R | 54D, 11R | Karl C. Schuyler (R) | 4D | |||
| 1934 | Alva B. Adams (D) | ||||||||||
| 1935 | James Carr (D) | Charles Armstrong (R) | 29D, 6R | 50D, 15R | |||||||
| 1936 | George Saunders (D) | Byron G. Rogers (D) | |||||||||
| 1937 | Ray Herbert Talbot (D) | vacant | Homer Bedford (D) | Edwin C. Johnson (D) | |||||||
| Teller Ammons (D) | Frank J. Hayes (D) | ||||||||||
| 1938 | |||||||||||
| 1939 | Ralph Lawrence Carr (R) | John Charles Vivian (R) | Charles Armstrong (R) | 23D, 12R | 37R, 28D | ||||||
| 1940 | Willkie/ McNary (R) N | ||||||||||
| 1941 | Walter Morrison (R) | Gail L. Ireland (R) | Homer Bedford (D) | 18D, 17R | Eugene Millikin (R) | 3R, 1D | |||||
| 1942 | |||||||||||
| 1943 | John Charles Vivian (R) | William Eugene Higby (R) | Leon Lavington (R) | 23R, 12D | 55R, 10D | 4R | |||||
| 1944 | Dewey/ Bricker (R) N | ||||||||||
| 1945 | H. Lawrence Hinkley (R) | Homer Bedford (D) | 27R, 8D | 46R, 19D | |||||||
| 1946 | |||||||||||
| 1947 | William Lee Knous (D) | Homer L. Pearson (D) | Rodney Anderson (R) | 3R, 1D | |||||||
| 1948 | Truman/ Barkley (D) | ||||||||||
| 1949 | Walter Walford Johnson (D) | George Baker (D) | John W. Metzger (D) | Homer Bedford (D) | 19R, 16D | 39D, 26R | 3D, 1R | ||||
| 1950 | |||||||||||
| Walter Walford Johnson (D) | Charles P. Murphy (R) | ||||||||||
| 1951 | Daniel I. J. Thornton (R) | Gordon Allott (R) | Duke W. Dunbar (R) | Earl E. Ewing (R) | 20R, 15D | 47R, 18D | 2D, 2R | ||||
| 1952 | Eisenhower/ Nixon (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1953 | Homer Bruce (R) | Homer Bedford (D) | 23R, 12D | 45R, 20D | |||||||
| 1954 | |||||||||||
| 1955 | Edwin C. Johnson (D) | Stephen McNichols (D) | George Baker (D) | Earl E. Ewing (R) | 20R, 15D | 38R, 27D | Gordon Allott (R) | ||||
| 1956 | |||||||||||
| 1957 | Stephen McNichols (D) | Frank L. Hays (R) | Homer Bedford (D) | 21D, 14R | 38D, 27R | John A. Carroll (D) | |||||
| 1958 | |||||||||||
| 1959 | Robert Lee Knous (D) | Tim Armstrong (D) | 22D, 13R | 44D, 21R | 3D, 1R | ||||||
| 1960 | Nixon/ Lodge (R) N | ||||||||||
| 1961 | 19D, 16R | 33D, 32R | 2D, 2R | ||||||||
| 1962 | |||||||||||
| 1963 | John Arthur Love (R) | Bryon A. Anderson (R) | Homer Bedford (D) | 20R, 15D | 41R, 24D | Peter H. Dominick (R) | |||||
| 1964 | Johnson/ Humphrey (D) Y | ||||||||||
| 1965 | 42D, 23R | 4D | |||||||||
| 1966 | |||||||||||
| 1967 | Mark Anthony Hogan (D) | Virginia Neal Blue (R) | 37R, 28D | 3D, 1R | |||||||
| 1968 | Nixon/ Agnew (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1969 | 24R, 11D | 38R, 27D | |||||||||
| 1970 | |||||||||||
| Julia Swearingen (R) | |||||||||||
| 1971 | John D. Vanderhoof (R) | Palmer Burch (R) | 21R, 14D | 2D, 2R | |||||||
| 1972 | |||||||||||
| 1973 | 22R, 13D | 37R, 28D | Floyd Haskell (D) | 3R, 2D | |||||||
| John D. Vanderhoof (R) | Ted L. Strickland (R) | John P. Moore (R) | |||||||||
| 1974 | Mary Estill Buchanan (R) | ||||||||||
| 1975 | Richard Lamm (D) | George L. Brown (D) | J.D. MacFarlane (D) | Sam Brown (D) | 19R, 16D | 39D, 26R | Gary Hart (D) | 3D, 2R | |||
| 1976 | Ford/ Dole (R) N | ||||||||||
| 1977 | Roy Romer (D) | 18R, 17D | 35R, 30D | ||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||||
| 1979 | Nancy E. Dick (D) | 22R, 13D | 38R, 27D | William L. Armstrong (R) | |||||||
| 1980 | Reagan/ Bush (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1981 | 39R, 26D | ||||||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||||
| 1983 | Natalie Meyer (R) | Duane Woodard (R) | 40R, 25D | 3D, 3R | |||||||
| 1984 | |||||||||||
| 1985 | 24R, 11D | 48R, 17D | 4R, 2D | ||||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||||
| 1987 | Roy Romer (D) | Mike Callihan (D) | Duane Woodard (D) | Gail Schoettler (D) | 25R, 10D | 41R, 24D | Tim Wirth (D) | 3R, 3D | |||
| 1988 | Bush/ Quayle (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 1989 | 24R, 11D | 40R, 25D | |||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||||
| 1991 | Gale Norton (R) | 23R, 12D | 38R, 27D | Hank Brown (R) | |||||||
| 1992 | Clinton/ Gore (D) Y | ||||||||||
| 1993 | 19R, 16D | 34R, 31D | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) | 4R, 2D | |||||||
| 1994 | Samuel H. Cassidy (D) | ||||||||||
| 1995 | Gail Schoettler (D) | Victoria Buckley (R) | Bill Owens (R) | 41R, 24D | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R) | ||||||
| 1996 | Dole/ Kemp (R) N | ||||||||||
| 1997 | 20R, 15D | Wayne Allard (R) | |||||||||
| 1998 | |||||||||||
| 1999 | Bill Owens (R) | Joe Rogers (R) | Ken Salazar (D) | Mike Coffman (R) | 21R, 14D | 39R, 26D | |||||
| Donetta Davidson (R) | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Bush/ Cheney (R) Y | ||||||||||
| 2001 | 18D, 17R | 38R, 27D | |||||||||
| 2002 | |||||||||||
| 2003 | Jane E. Norton (R) | 18R, 17D | 37R, 28D | 5R, 2D | |||||||
| 2004 | |||||||||||
| 2005 | John Suthers (R) | 18D, 17R | 35D, 30R | Ken Salazar (D) | 4R, 3D | ||||||
| Gigi Dennis (R) | Mark Hillman (R) | ||||||||||
| 2006 | |||||||||||
| Mike Coffman (R) | |||||||||||
| 2007 | Bill Ritter (D) | Barbara O'Brien (D) | Mike Coffman (R) | Cary Kennedy (D) | 20D, 15R | 39D, 26R | 4D, 3R | ||||
| 2008 | Obama/ Biden (D) Y | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Bernie Buescher (D) | 21D, 14R | 38D, 27R | Mark Udall (D) | Michael Bennet (D) | 5D, 2R | |||||
| 2010 | |||||||||||
| 2011 | John Hickenlooper (D) | Joseph Garcia (D) | Scott Gessler (R) | Walker Stapleton (R) | 20D, 15R | 33R, 32D | 4R, 3D | ||||
| 2012 | |||||||||||
| 2013 | 37D, 28R | ||||||||||
| 2014 | 18D, 17R | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Wayne W. Williams (R) | Cynthia Coffman (R) | 18R, 17D | 34D, 31R | Cory Gardner (R) | ||||||
| 2016 | Clinton/ Kaine (D) N | ||||||||||
| Donna Lynne (D) | |||||||||||
| 2017 | 37D, 28R | ||||||||||
| 2018 | |||||||||||
| 2019 | Jared Polis (D) | Dianne Primavera (D) | Jena Griswold (D) | Phil Weiser (D) | Dave Young (D) | 19D, 16R | 41D, 24R | 4D, 3R | |||
| 2020 | Biden/ Harris (D) Y | ||||||||||
| 2021 | 20D, 15R | John Hickenlooper (D) | |||||||||
| 2022 | 21D, 14R | ||||||||||
| 2023 | 23D, 12R | 46D, 19R | 5D, 3R | ||||||||
| 2024 | Harris/ Walz (D) N | ||||||||||
| 2025 | 43D, 22R | 4D, 4R | |||||||||
| 2026 | |||||||||||
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Political party strength in Colorado, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.