2006 Colorado gubernatorial election
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 County results Ritter: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Beauprez: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Colorado |
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The 2006 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Owens was unable to run due to term limits, and the election was won by Democratic nominee Bill Ritter.
With his win, Democrats obtained a trifecta in the state for the first time since 1963. As of 2024, this is the last time the Governor's office in Colorado changed partisan control.
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Campaign
[edit]In the leadup to the Democratic primary, Bill Ritter, the former District Attorney of Denver, emerged as the leading Democratic candidate. Though several other prominent state Democrats, including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper[1] and State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff,[2] considered running for Governor, both ultimately declined to do so. State Representative Gary Lindstrom, the only other candidate besides Ritter in the race, ended his campaign on February 28, 2006.[3] Ritter's personal opposition to abortion motivated pro-choice leaders in the state party to seek alternatives to him,[4] but none ultimately materialized, and opposition to Ritter softened with his pledge to not alter the state's liberal abortion laws.[5]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Ritter | 142,586 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 142,586 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Bob Beauprez, U.S. Congressman from Colorado's 7th congressional district
Campaign
[edit]With popular two-term Governor Bill Owens barred from seeking re-election, an open race developed for the Republican nomination to succeed him. The race looked like it would be between Congressman Bob Beauprez, who represented the swingy Denver suburbs in Congress, and former University of Denver President Marc Holtzman. The race between Beauprez and Holtzman was contentious. Beauprez accused Holtzman of ethics violations, including making false allegations that the campaign's email list was stolen,[7] providing falsified poll results to the Denver Post, and using a separate state campaign committee as a "shadow gubernatorial campaign."[8] Holtzman, meanwhile, accused Beauprez of being part of the "politics of power" that he argued had taken the party away from its conservative values, pointing to Beauprez's support of Referendum C in 2005, which allowed the state to hold onto excess tax revenues rather than refund surpluses.[9]
In the end, the campaign between the two frontrunners fizzled. Beauprez won a landslide victory at the state Republican convention, denying Holtzman a spot on the ballot. Holtzman's efforts to collect signatures to win a spot on the ballot were ultimately in vain, with the Colorado Supreme Court ruling in June that he had failed to submit enough signatures. In response, Holtzman suspended his campaign and endorsed Beauprez, who won the Republican primary unopposed.[7]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Beauprez | 193,804 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 193,804 | 100.00 | ||
Campaign
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[10] | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[11] | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[12] | Likely D (flip) | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[13] | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Bill Ritter (D) |
Bob Beauprez (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[14] | November 2, 2006 | 57% | 35% |
| Zogby/WSJ[15] | October 31, 2006 | 46.4% | 46.6% |
| Rasmussen[16] | October 29, 2006 | 51% | 39% |
| Survey USA[17] | October 23, 2006 | 56% | 38% |
| Zogby/WSJ[15] | October 19, 2006 | 46.7% | 44.7% |
| Mason Dixon[18] | October 7, 2006 | 50% | 35% |
| Survey USA[19] | September 28, 2006 | 55% | 38% |
| Rasmussen[20] | September 26, 2006 | 50% | 34% |
| Rocky Mountain News[21] | September 18, 2006 | 50% | 33% |
| Zogby/WSJ[22] | September 11, 2006 | 47.5% | 38.9% |
| Zogby/WSJ[22] | August 28, 2006 | 46.0% | 38.7% |
| Survey USA[23] | August 17, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Rasmussen[24] | August 11, 2006 | 48% | 39% |
| Zogby/WSJ[22] | July 24, 2006 | 42.8% | 40.9% |
| Mason Dixon[25] | July 17, 2006 | 42% | 35% |
| Rasmussen[26] | July 10, 2006** | 42% | 37% |
| Zogby/WSJ[22] | June 21, 2006 | 44.2% | 36.1% |
| Rasmussen[27] | June 8, 2006 | 43% | 38% |
| Rasmussen[28] | May 5, 2006 | 37% | 39% |
| Rasmussen[29] | April 5, 2006 | 41% | 40% |
| Rasmussen[30] | February 25, 2006 | 40% | 33% |
| Rasmussen[31] | January 26, 2006 | 38% | 39% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Ritter | 887,986 | 56.99% | +23.33% | |
| Republican | Bob Beauprez | 625,886 | 40.17% | −22.46% | |
| Libertarian | Dawn Winkler-Kinateder | 23,323 | 1.50% | +0.04% | |
| Independent | Paul Noel Fiorino | 10,996 | 0.71% | — | |
| Constitution | Clyde J. Harkins | 9,716 | 0.62% | +0.62% | |
| Write-ins | 370 | 0.02% | — | ||
| Majority | 262,100 | 16.82% | −12.15% | ||
| Turnout | 1,558,277 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]- Weld (largest city: Greeley)
- Sedgwick (Largest city: Julesburg)
- Larimer (largest city: Fort Collins)
- Grand (Largest city: Granby)
- Routt (Largest city: Steamboat Springs)
- Garfield (largest municipality: Glenwood Springs)
- Eagle (largest municipality: Edwards)
- Summit (largest municipality: Breckenridge)
- Jefferson (largest city: Lakewood)
- Clear Creek (largest city: Idaho Springs)
- Gilpin (largest city: Central City)
- Adams (largest city: Thornton)
- Arapahoe (largest city: Aurora)
- Chaffee (largest city: Salida)
- Gunnison (Largest city: Gunnison)
- Lake (Largest city: Leadville)
- Pitkin (Largest city: Aspen)
- Dolores (largest city: Dove Creek)
- Ouray (largest city: Ouray)
- La Plata (largest municipality: Durango)
- San Juan (largest municipality: Silverton)
- Hinsdale (Largest city: Lake City)
- Rio Grande (Largest city: Monte Vista)
- Archuleta (Largest city: Pagosa Springs)
- Mineral (Largest city: Creede)
- Conejos (largest municipality: Manassa)
- Huerfano (largest city: Walsenburg)
- Alamosa (largest municipality: Alamosa)
- Costilla (largest municipality: San Luis)
- Las Animas (largest city: Trinidad)
- Saguache (largest city: Center)
- Bent (Largest city: Las Animas)
- Otero (Largest city: La Junta)
- Broomfield
See also
[edit]- 2006 United States gubernatorial elections
- State of Colorado
- Governors of Colorado
- List of Colorado ballot measures
References
[edit]- ^ "Hickenlooper Won't Run for Governor". Summit Daily News. Breckenridge, Colorado. February 6, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Romanoff Passes on Governor's Race". Denver Business Journal. Denver, Colorado. January 4, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Lindstrom Drops out of Governor's Race". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. February 28, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ Riccardi, Nicholas (April 15, 2006). "Democrat Sidesteps the Abortion Plank". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ Crummy, Karen (February 14, 2006). "Ritter Walks Tightrope with Abortion Stance". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c Coffman, Mike (2006). Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2005 Coordinated, 2006 Primary, 2006 General (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.
- ^ a b Crummy, Karen (June 22, 2006). "Holtzman's Run is Done". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ Crummy, Karen (May 1, 2006). "Holtzman Calls Outside Probe Unnecessary". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ Roper, Peter (January 6, 2006). "Holtzman to GOP: 'Take Back the Party'". Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo, Colorado. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
- ^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Survey USA
- ^ a b Zogby/WSJ
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Survey USA
- ^ Mason Dixon
- ^ Survey USA
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rocky Mountain News
- ^ a b c d Zogby/WSJ
- ^ Survey USA
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Mason Dixon [permanent dead link]
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen Archived 2006-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites (Archived)
