by Thomas E.J. Hazard, Holland & Hart LLP
Democratic Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper moves across the street from City Hall to the Capitol as Colorado’s new governor after handily defeating American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo and Republican candidate Dan Maes.
Hickenlooper replaces Democrat Bill Ritter as governor. However, unlike Ritter, who enjoyed a Democratic-controlled state legislature, Hickenlooper may face a legislature that, depending on the final tally of votes, is dominated by Republicans in both the House and Senate.
In a very tight race, Democratic U.S. Senator Michael Bennet was elected to the U.S. Senate after vote returns the morning after the election showed him leading Republican candidate Ken Buck by 47.7 percent to 46.8 percent — or about 15,400 votes — which is beyond the threshold for a recount. Bennet is considered an Obama stalwart, and despite playing coy on his position, he is believed to be a supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
In the U.S. House races, two Democratic incumbents lost their seats. Democratic U.S. Representative John Salazar, who represents District 3, and U.S. Representative Betsy Markey, who represents District 4, were defeated by their Republican rivals Scott Tipton and Cory Gardner. As a result, Colorado will have four Republicans and three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Thomas E.J. Hazard is an editor of Colorado Employment Law Letter and a partner with Holland & Hart LLP in the firm’s Denver office. He can be reached at (303) 295-8280.