As Colorado’s statewide primary election results have continued to roll in, likely winners have emerged in Boulder County’s races.
Most of this year’s primary contests in the county were between Democratic candidates, and several of those were for seats in the state Legislature. One of the closer races was for state House District 10, an area encompassing most of Boulder and a portion of Gunbarrel. Incumbent state Rep. Junie Joseph and retired science educator Tina Mueh both sought the Democratic nomination for the seat.
As of 4:13 p.m. Wednesday, Joseph appeared on track to win the Democratic nomination with 7,735 votes, or 58.92% of those counted, to Mueh’s 5,392, or 41.08%. Joseph’s lead grew from about 14 percentage points Tuesday night to almost 18 points by Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m happy that we won. We have so many people who helped us,” Joseph told the Camera Wednesday. “For me, the win is not for me. It’s for the people of Boulder and all the volunteers who worked on my campaign.”
While Joseph felt a lot of community support for her campaign, she acknowledged that Mueh had built a following, too, even among some of those who once backed her.
“I wish there was a way that I could bring all these people in a room and have a conversation with them, and find out how I can better represent them,” she said, adding. “Some people don’t feel represented by the work that I do at the state Capitol, and I want to represent them.”
There was a slimmer, though still substantial, margin between the Democratic candidates for an at-large seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Elliott Hood, a school attorney and former teacher, maintained his lead over DEI executive and former CU athlete Charles “CJ” Johnson, with 26,972 votes (or 57.10% of the votes counted) to Johnson’s 20,262 (42.90% of those counted) — a roughly 14-point margin.
In the State Board of Education race for the Second Congressional District, Democrats Kathy Gebhardt and Marisol Rodriguez vied for their party’s nomination. Gebhardt, a mother of five and former BVSD school board president, maintained an almost 17-point lead over Rodriguez, an education consultant.
Other races were not as close. Rep. Judy Amabile, currently representing state House District 49, appeared to have prevailed over research consultant Jovita Schiffer in state Senate District 18, which encompasses Boulder and a segment of Boulder County east of the city. As of Wednesday afternoon, Amabile had a 53-point lead over Schiffer.
In state House District 49, current University of Colorado Regent Lesley Smith is poised to clinch the Democratic nomination. That district encompasses the western flank of Boulder plus Lyons, Jamestown, Nederland, and a swath of the Rocky Mountains running from Georgetown and Empire to the northern state border. Smith led mental health counselor Max Woodfin by a 45-point margin.
There were also two Republican primary contests in Boulder County. In state House District 11, longtime IT professional Kathy Reeves was on track to secure the Republican nomination as of Wednesday afternoon with a 19-point lead over former Longmont mayoral candidate Terri Goon. That district encompasses most of Longmont.
And in state House District 12, which includes parts of Louisville, Lafayette, Superior and Niwot, electrical engineer Mark Milliman led opponent Robert Mahler by an almost 23-point margin. Milliman had 1,487 votes, or 61.47% of the total counted, while Mahler had 932 votes, or 38.53% of those counted.
