Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Republican primary)

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Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 20, 2018
Primary: June 26, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. John Hickenlooper (Democrat) Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Colorado
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Colorado executive elections
Governor Lieutenant governor Attorney general Secretary of state Treasurer State board of education State board of regents

State Treasurer Walker Stapleton (R) won Colorado's Republican gubernatorial primary, receiving 48 percent of the vote to former state Rep. Victor Mitchell's (R) 30 percent.^[3] Over the course of the primary, Stapleton led the four-candidate field with support from the party and the most contributions.^[4]

At the party’s state assembly in April, Stapleton won a plurality of the vote—44 percent—and walked away with a spot on the ballot and reinforcement of party support that began with Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.)’s endorsement earlier in the year.^[4]

He launched a $700,000 ad campaign in May presenting himself as an effective conservative who led opposition to the Colorado Tax Increase for Education, Amendment 66 and a single-payer healthcare system in the state.^[5]

Also on the ballot by signature collection were former state Rep. Victor Mitchell (R) and businessman Doug Robinson (R).

Mitchell self-funded his campaign through a $3 million loan, investing in digital and TV ad buys to introduce himself to voters as a key opponent of the Colorado Sales and Income Tax Increase Initiative in 2011.^[6]

Robinson focused on infrastructure, education funding, and working with officials in sanctuary cities to achieve compliance with federal immigration law.^[7][8]

Former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez (R) made the ballot by winning 32 percent of the vote at the state assembly. He highlighted the importance of reaching Latino voters to securing the governor's house, but struggled with fundraising—bringing in $21,000 to Stapleton’s $1.4 million through May 16.^[4]

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

Walker Stapleton defeated Victor Mitchell, Greg Lopez, and Doug Robinson in the Republican primary for Governor of Colorado on June 26, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Colorado

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Walker Stapleton	47.7	239,861
		Victor Mitchell	30.1	151,585
		Greg Lopez	13.2	66,432
		Doug Robinson	9.0	45,327

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 503,205
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Barry Farah (R)

Top candidates

Greg Lopez

Lopez served two terms as mayor of Parker, Colorado, in the 1990s, changing his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1994. He also served as the Colorado state director of the Small Business Administration from 2008 to 2014 and led the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Lopez is an Air Force veteran.^[9][10]

“What I bring to the table is a record of accomplishment and being effective in each position I have held,” Lopez said when announcing his candidacy. “I’ve taken action and executed plans that have brought benefit to our state, and the families who live here.”^[9]

He identified improving management of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association fund, developing infrastructure, and supporting charter schools and voucher programs as some of his policy priorities.^[11]

Victor Mitchell

Over the course of his career, Mitchell founded several wireless communications companies and operated a lending organization specializing in private financing for homebuilders and developers. He served in the Colorado State Legislature from 2007 to 2009.^[12]

"I am an outsider. I mean, for 31 years, I built private companies. I've never worked for anyone other than myself. I've built very successful private companies — six of them, to be exact. Ten years ago, I served for one term in the state legislature ... but then I went right back to the private sector. I'm not taking any special interest money. ... I'm not accepting any political endorsements. So I'm the only person that's actually put forward very specific, bold ideas to transform a lot of our bureaucracies," Mitchell said of his campaign.^[13]

Mitchell identified reducing the cost of C-DOT, using alternative healthcare models like mobile health clinics, and cutting regulations as some of his policy priorities.^[14]

Doug Robinson

Born in Michigan, Robinson moved to Colorado in 1996 where he co-founded financial firm St. Charles Capital. He previously worked in technology-focused corporate finance and retired from auditing firm KPMG in 2017 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign. Robinson also founded the nonprofit KidsTek to offer technology skills training to children.^[15][7]

"I think what differentiates me is my business background, my ability to get things done, to pull together people from different backgrounds in order to look at creative solutions and have the courage to implement them. I think that skill set connects to my vision for Colorado — our need to get Colorado ready for the future so we can thrive as a place that is the best place for opportunity for our kids and grandkids," Robinson said in an interview about his candidacy.^[7]

On his campaign website, Robinson identified prioritizing infrastructure, offering flexibility in education options, and greater regulation of the marijuana industry as some of his priorities.^[16]

Walker Stapleton

Before being elected state treasurer in 2010, Stapleton was the chief executive and president of real estate management company, Sonoma West Holdings.^[17] He was re-elected treasurer in 2014 by a margin of 5 points.

"I decided to run for governor because I think I am in the unique position of having had a successful career in the private sector, making payroll, balancing budgets and creating jobs, but have also had front-line experience on important economic policy decisions as state treasurer," Stapleton said.^[18]

On his campaign website, Stapleton listed ending sanctuary cities, restructuring the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, and expanding access to charter schools as some of his policy priorities.^[19]

Unaffiliated voters in Colorado primaries

The June 26, 2018, primaries were the first chance that Colorado voters unaffiliated with either major party had to participate in partisan primaries. The state's 1.1 million unaffiliated voters received mail-in ballots from their county clerks and were not able to opt out of receiving a ballot. If a voter did not request a ballot from one party, she or he received ballots for both parties. Voters could only complete a ballot for one party's primary. If the voter completed both party ballots, the ballots were invalidated.

County officials recommended that voters mail their ballots in by June 16. If voters chose to drop their ballots off at their county election offices, they had until 7:00 PM MT on June 26.^[20]

This change in the voting system came from Proposition 108, a 2016 initiated state statute approved by 53.3 percent of voters. Prior to the passage of Proposition 108, Colorado utilized a closed primary system where only voters registered with a political party could participate. Unaffiliated voters were able to affiliate with one of the parties on election day if they chose.

Debates and forums

June 7, 2018, debate

Mitchell, Lopez, Robinson, and Stapleton participated in the Republican primary debate hosted by 9NEWS and moderated by anchor Kyle Clark and political reporter Brandon Rittiman. They discussed the legalization of marijuana, the deportation of non-criminal immigrants residing in the U.S. without legal permission, anti-discrimination laws and the LGBT community, and individual candidates' personal history with alcohol-related issues and domestic violence.^[21]

• Find the 9NEWS round-up of the debate here.
• Find the Denver Business Journal round-up of the debate here.

June 6, 2018, debate

Mitchell, Lopez, and Robinson participated in a Republican primary debate hosted Colorado Public Television and CBS4, where they discussed where they align with and diverge from Trump, healthcare, infrastructure, and the state of the Republican Party. Stapleton did not attend.^[22]

• Find the Denverite round-up of the debate here.
• Find the KUNC round-up of the debate here.

November 13, 2017, candidate forum

On November 13, 2017, seven Republican candidates met for a forum in Fort Lupton. Stephen Barlock, Lew Gaiter, Greg Lopez, Victor Mitchell, Doug Robinson, Walker Stapleton, and Tom Tancredo discussed issues including education and energy. All seven candidates stated their support for educational vouchers, promotion of vocational training, protection of water reservoirs, reduction in the number of regulations relating to businesses, increased investment in transportation infrastructure, and drug testing for recipients of federal or state assistance. The candidates were also in agreement that a link between the legalization of marijuana for recreational use and increased rates of mental health disorders could exist.

When asked whether they had voted for Pres. Donald Trump (R) in the 2016 election, five of the candidates stated that they had cast their votes for Trump while Mitchell said that he had not and Gaiter said only that he supported the president.^[23][24]

Campaign strategy and tactics

Campaign advertisements

Victor Mitchell (R)

Support

Walker Stapleton (R)

Support

Oppose

Campaign finance

Satellite spending

• Between February and April 2018, Better Colorado Now spent more than $250,000 on ads promoting Stapleton's campaign.^[25]

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Race rating

Context of the 2018 election

• Heading into the election, the sitting governor was John Hickenlooper (D), who was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Hickenlooper was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election.

• As of the 2018 election, Colorado was under divided government. It had held this status since 2015, when Republicans gained a majority in the state Senate. It was also under divided triplex control.

• In the past five presidential elections, Colorado was won by the Democratic candidate in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and by the Republican candidate in 2000 and 2004. The widest margin of victory was Barack Obama's nine percent margin in 2008, while the narrowest was George W. Bush's five percent margin in 2004.

• Colorado was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Past elections

2014

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Bob Beauprez secured the Republican nomination for governor in 2014, defeating Tom Tancredo, Scott Gessler, and Mike Kopp by a 3.5 percent margin.^[26]

Governor of Colorado, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Bob Beauprez	30.2%	116,333
Tom Tancredo	26.7%	102,830
Scott Gessler	23.2%	89,213
Mike Kopp	19.9%	76,373
Total Votes		384,749
Election results via Colorado Secretary of State.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, "an eligible unaffiliated elector is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."^[27][28][29]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.^[30][31]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

In Colorado, an individual can register to vote if he or she is at least 16 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. A voter must be a citizen of the United States who has lived in Colorado at least 22 days prior to Election Day.^[32]

Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a mail-in ballot, a voter must register at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.^[32][33]

Automatic registration

Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.

Residency requirements

Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration

The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with his or her mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.

The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of April 2023. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.

Early and absentee voting

Colorado conducts what are commonly referred to as all-mail elections. In Colorado, voting is conducted primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, by mail. Election officials automatically distribute mail-in ballots to active electors starting 18 to 22 days before an election. Colorado law requires county clerks to operate polling locations (Voter Service and Polling Centers, or VSPCs) starting 15 days before an election and continuing through Election Day, excluding Sundays. At these locations, eligible voters can do any of the following:^[36]

• void their mail-in ballots to vote in person,
• register to vote,
• update existing voter registration records,
• obtain mail-in ballots, or
• vote in person via paper ballots or accessible voting devices.

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Colorado heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

• The state had a split delegation (one Democrat, one Republican) in the U.S. Senate. Colorado did not hold elections for either U.S. Senate seat in 2018.
• Republicans held four of seven U.S. House seats in Colorado, and Democrats held three.

State executives

• As of May 2018, Republicans held three of 10 state executive positions. Democrats held two, and five were nonpartisan.
• The governor of Colorado was Democrat John Hickenlooper, who was term-limited and unable to run for re-election in 2018. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.

State legislature

• The Colorado state legislature was under divided control. Republicans had an 18-16 majority in the state Senate, with one Independent who caucused with the Democrats. Democrats had a 36-29 majority in the state House.

Trifecta status

• Heading into the 2018 elections, Colorado was under divided government.

2018 elections

See also: Colorado elections, 2018

Colorado held elections for the following positions in 2018:

• All seven U.S. House seats
• Governor and lieutenant governor
• Attorney general
• Secretary of state
• Treasurer
• Seventeen of 35 seats in the state Senate
• All 65 seats in the state House of Representatives
• Two of seven seats on the state board of education
• Three of nine seats on the state board of regents
• One justice of the Colorado Supreme Court (retention election)
• Five members of the Colorado Court of Appeals (retention election)
• Local judicial offices
• Municipal elections in Adams County, Arapahoe County and El Paso County

Demographics

As of July 2017, Colorado had a population of approximately 5.6 million people, and its two largest cities were Denver (pop. est. 719,000) and Colorado Springs (pop. est. 484,000).^[37][38]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Colorado from 2000 to 2016.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Colorado every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Colorado 2000-2016[39]
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Hillary Clinton	48.2%	Donald Trump	43.3%	4.9%
2012	Barack Obama	51.5%	Mitt Romney	46.1%	5.4%
2008	Barack Obama	53.7%	John McCain	44.7%	9.0%
2004	George W. Bush	51.7%	John Kerry	47.0%	4.7%
2000	George W. Bush	50.8%	Al Gore	42.4%	8.4%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Colorado from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Colorado 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016[40]	Michael Bennet	50.0%	Darryl Glenn	44.3%	5.7%
2014[41]	Cory Gardner	48.2%	Mark Udall	46.3%	1.9%
2010[42]	Michael Bennet	48.1%	Ken Buck	46.4%	1.7%
2008[43]	Mark Udall	52.8%	Bob Schaffer	42.5%	10.3%
2004[44]	Ken Salazar	50.4%	Pete Coors	45.7%	4.7%
2002[45]	Wayne Allard	50.1%	Tom Strickland	45.2%	4.9%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Colorado, and take place in even-numbered years between presidential elections.

Election results (Governor), Colorado 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014[41]	John Hickenlooper	49.3%	Bob Beauprez	46.0%	3.3%
2010[42]	John Hickenlooper	51.1%	Tom Tancredo	36.4%	14.7%
2006[46]	Bill Ritter	56.0%	Bob Beauprez	39.5%	16.5%
2002[45]	Bill Owens	61.7%	Rollie Heath	33.2%	28.5%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Colorado in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Colorado 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016[40]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2014[41]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2012[47]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2010[42]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2008[43]	2	28.6%	5	71.4%	D+3
2006[46]	3	42.9%	4	57.1%	D+1
2004[44]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2002[45]	5	71.4%	2	28.6%	R+3
2000[48]	4	66.7%	2	33.3%	R+2

Trifectas, 1992-2018

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Four of 64 Colorado counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Colorado with 48.2 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 43.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Colorado voted Republican 63.3 percent of the time and Democratic 36.7 percent of the time. Colorado voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but voted Democratic in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Colorado. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[49][50]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado governor Republican primary 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Suggest a link

• Governor of Colorado official website

Footnotes

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