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| Colorado Treasurer |
|---|
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 15, 2022 |
| Primary: June 28, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Dave Young (Democratic) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Colorado |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
| Colorado executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Incumbent Dave Young (D) defeated Lang Sias (R) and Anthony Delgado (L) in the general election for Colorado treasurer on November 8, 2022. Young and Sias led in fundraising and media attention.[1][2]
Young was elected treasurer in 2018 and represented District 50 in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. Young's professional experience included working as an instructor at Heath Junior High in Greeley from 1975 to 1999, working as an information architect for a web design firm, and serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, Denver.[3] Young emphasized his experience as treasurer on his campaign website. It stated, "As State Treasurer, Dave identified funding that was used to make $2.4 billion in infrastructure improvements, and he set-up a new, $250 million small business loan program to help Colorado grow and recover into a strong economy."[4]
Sias represented District 27 in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. He also ran for lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial nominee Walker Stapleton (R) in 2018. Sias' career experience included serving as a U.S. Navy and Air National Guard fighter pilot and working as an attorney. Sias said, “I’m running for Colorado State Treasurer because Colorado families and taxpayers deserve a champion for transparency and accountability.” He also highlighted his experience in the state House, saying he "focused on solving problems in the areas of education, health care, and small business, and on government transparency and accountability."[5]
In 2018, Young defeated Brian Watson (R) 52.2% to 44.9%. Walker Stapleton (R) was the Colorado treasurer before Young. Stapleton assumed office in 2011 and left office in 2019, being unable to run for a third term due to term limits.
The treasurer oversees the Department of the Treasury, which acts as the state government's bank. The treasury receives all revenues (taxes, fees, etc.), manages the state's investment funds, and disburses money based on warrants (checks) drawn against the treasury. Treasurers are elected to four-year terms in federal midterm election years.
Lang Sias (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
Incumbent Dave Young won election in the general election for Colorado Treasurer.
Incumbent Dave Young defeated Lang Sias and Anthony Delgado in the general election for Colorado Treasurer on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Dave Young (D) | 53.7 | 1,312,705 | |
Lang Sias (R) ![]() | 43.0 | 1,052,337 | ||
| Anthony Delgado (L) | 3.3 | 80,770 | ||
| Total votes: 2,445,812 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Incumbent Dave Young advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado Treasurer on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Dave Young | 100.0 | 499,229 | |
| Total votes: 499,229 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Lang Sias advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado Treasurer on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lang Sias ![]() | 100.0 | 502,175 | |
| Total votes: 502,175 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
Biography: Young's professional experience includes working as an instructor at Heath Junior High in Greeley from 1975 to 1999, working as an information architect for a web design firm, and serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, Denver.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Colorado Treasurer in 2022.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Lang Sias is a former Navy and Air National Guard fighter pilot and Top Gun instructor, attorney and Colorado State Representative. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, the London School of Economics and Vassar College. He and his wife Rene live in Arvada, with their three children, who attend JeffCo public schools."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Colorado Treasurer in 2022.
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Lang Sias (R)
Lang Sias (R)
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Have a link to Dave Young's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.
Have a link to Dave Young's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. Click here to access those reports.
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[10][11][12]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Colorado, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Colorado's 1st | Diana DeGette | D+29 | |
| Colorado's 2nd | Joe Neguse | D+17 | |
| Colorado's 3rd | Lauren Boebert | R+7 | |
| Colorado's 4th | Ken Buck | R+13 | |
| Colorado's 5th | Doug Lamborn | R+9 | |
| Colorado's 6th | Jason Crow | D+9 | |
| Colorado's 7th | Open | D+4 | |
| Colorado's 8th | New Seat | N/A | Even |
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Colorado[13] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden |
Donald Trump | ||
| Colorado's 1st | 79.5% | 18.2% | ||
| Colorado's 2nd | 68.7% | 28.8% | ||
| Colorado's 3rd | 44.7% | 52.9% | ||
| Colorado's 4th | 39.5% | 58.0% | ||
| Colorado's 5th | 43.1% | 53.2% | ||
| Colorado's 6th | 60.6% | 36.8% | ||
| Colorado's 7th | 55.7% | 41.5% | ||
| Colorado's 8th | 50.8% | 46.3% | ||
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 60.4% of Coloradans lived in one of the state's 21 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 34.5% lived in one of 36 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Colorado was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Colorado following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Colorado county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 21 | 60.4% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 36 | 34.5% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 2 | 3.2% | |||||
| New Democratic | 1 | 1.1% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 3 | 0.5% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 0.3% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 24 | 64.7% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 40 | 35.3% | |||||
Colorado presidential election results (1900-2020)
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Colorado.
| U.S. Senate election results in Colorado | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 53.5% |
44.2% |
| 2016 | 49.9% |
44.3% |
| 2014 | 48.2% |
46.3% |
| 2010 | 48.1% |
46.4% |
| 2008 | 52.8% |
42.5% |
| Average | 50.5 | 44.7 |
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Colorado.
| Gubernatorial election results in Colorado | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2018 | 53.4% |
42.8% |
| 2014 | 49.3% |
46.0% |
| 2010 | 51.1% |
36.4% |
| 2006 | 57.0% |
40.2% |
| 2002 | 62.5% |
33.7% |
| Average | 54.7 | 39.8 |
The table below displays the partisan composition of Colorado's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado, November 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Republican | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 7 | 9 |
The table below displays the officeholders in Colorado's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
| State executive officials in Colorado, November 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General | |
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Colorado General Assembly as of November 2022.
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 14 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | |
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 41 | |
| Republican Party | 23 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 65 | |
As of November 2022, Colorado was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Colorado Party Control: 1992-2022
Ten years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
The table below details demographic data in Colorado and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for Colorado | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | United States | |
| Population | 5,773,714 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 103,636 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 81.5% | 70.4% |
| Black/African American | 4.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian | 3.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| Multiple | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 21.7% | 18.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.1% | 88.5% |
| College graduation rate | 41.6% | 32.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $75,231 | $64,994 |
| Persons below poverty level | 9.8% | 12.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. |
In the context of public policy, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) refers to the use of non-financial factors in the creation of policy and management of public funds. In considering ESG, public fund managers might require investing only in companies that support certain standards with respect to renewable energy, natural resources, pollution, carbon emissions, and biodiversity; social positions like diversity, equity and inclusion; and diversity in governing bodies.[14]
ESG investing stands in contrast to an investment approach based on the likely maximization of financial returns to the investor.[15]
Although ESG is an approach to investing, it has political overtones. Politicians, particularly from the Republican Party, argue that large ESG-oriented financial firms are abusing their power in order to advance a liberal political agenda in the areas of climate change, social justice, and diversity.[16] Opponents have also characterized ESG investing as "...investment designed not to maximize financial returns but to impose a leftist social and economic agenda that cannot otherwise be implemented through the ballot box."[17] Opponents also argue that focusing on ESG factors has led to "lackluster financial results" that have had a harmful impact on the rate of return to beneficiaries of state public pension plans.[18] Click here to read more about opposition to ESG.
Supporters of ESG investing argue that in the long run, ESG investing will lead to acceptable financial returns.[19] ESG advocates say that ESG and profit are not mutually exclusive.[19] Supporters of ESG also argue that corporations should adopt ESG philosophies and approaches to achieve what they view as positive outcomes.[20] Click here to read more about support for ESG.
Dave Young (D), Lang Sias (R), and Anthony Delgado (L), who ran for Colorado treasurer, made the following statements on ESG-related issues in this election. Below are samples of quotes from candidates in this election on issues relevant to ESG and state government. If you are aware of a statement that should be included, please email us.
See statutes: Title 1, Article 4 of the Colorado Revised Statutes
There are different types of candidates in Colorado: major party candidates, minor party candidates, Qualified Political Organization (QPO) candidates, unaffiliated candidates, and write-in candidates. Ballot access methods differ according to the type of candidate.
There are a number of requirements that all candidates must follow. These include the following:
The qualification of any candidate may be challenged by any eligible elector within five days of the candidate qualifying for the ballot.[29]
In order to run as a major party candidate, one must have been affiliated with his or her party by the first business day in January of the year of the election, unless party rules say otherwise. The candidate must be nominated in the primary election to move on to the general election as the nominee of the party. There are two methods by which a major party can place candidates on the primary election ballot: nomination by an assembly and nomination by petition.[30][31][32]
Major parties may hold party assemblies to nominate candidates. At these assemblies, delegates vote on possible candidates and may place up to two candidates per office on the primary ballot. Delegates to party assemblies are chosen at yearly precinct caucuses. The process by which assemblies are held is determined by the individual parties.[33][34]
A major party must hold a nominating assembly no later than 73 days before the primary election. A candidate must receive 30 percent of votes cast by assembly delegates for that office. If no candidate receives 30 percent, a second vote must be taken. If no candidate receives 30 percent at the second vote, the top two vote-getters will be nominated. Within four days of the assembly, a successful candidate must file a written acceptance of candidacy with the presiding officer of the assembly. The presiding officer of the assembly must file a certificate of designation by an assembly, along with the written acceptance of candidacy, with the Colorado Secretary of State. This certificate must state the name of the political party, the name and address of each candidate, and the offices being sought. It must also certify that the candidates have been members of the political party for the required period of time.[31][35][30]
A candidate who attempted to be nominated by assembly and failed to receive at least 10 percent of the delegates' votes may not be nominated by petition for that same party.[36]
The nominating petition must be signed by eligible electors who reside in the district the candidate seeks to represent. Candidates who collect the required number of signatures are placed on the primary election ballot. The signature requirements are as follows:[36]
| Petition signature requirements for political party candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures required |
| Member of the United States Senate or state executive official | 1,500 from each congressional district |
| Member of the Colorado State Legislature or United States House of Representatives | 1,000, or 30 percent of the votes cast in the district in the most recent primary election for the same party and the same office, whichever is less. If there was no primary election, general election numbers should be used. |
In order to run as a minor party candidate, one must have been affiliated with his or her party by the first business day in January of the year of the election, unless party rules say otherwise. Minor parties nominate their candidates for placement on the general election ballot. If there is more than one candidate nominated for a given office, those candidates are placed on the primary ballot.[37][38]
There are two methods by which minor parties can nominate candidates to be placed on the ballot.
The minor party must hold an assembly no later than 73 days before the primary election. A successful candidate must receive at least 30 percent of the delegates' votes for that office at the assembly.[38]
A minor party candidate may be nominated by petition. The petition must be signed by eligible electors in the same district the candidate seeks to represent. The signature requirements are listed in the table below.[37]
| Petition signature requirements for minor party candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures required |
| Member of the United States Senate or state executive official | 1,000 |
| Member of the United States House of Representatives | 1,500, or 2.5 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that congressional district in the last general election, whichever is less |
| Member of the Colorado State Senate | 1,000, or 3.33 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that senate district in the last general election, whichever is less |
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives | 1,000, or 5 percent of the total votes cast for that office in that house district in the last general election, whichever is less |
In order to run as a Qualified Political Organization (QPO) candidate, one must have been affiliated with the QPO for one year. Alternatively, if the organization has not been qualified for one year, the candidate must have been registered as unaffiliated for one year. QPO candidates must petition to be placed on the general election ballot. Each petition must include an affidavit signed under oath by the chairperson and secretary of the QPO and approved by the Colorado Secretary of State. Signature requirements are the same as those for minor party candidates, which are listed above.[37][39][40]
In order to run as an unaffiliated candidate, one must be registered as unaffiliated by the first business day in January of the year of the election. An unaffiliated candidate must petition to be placed on the general election ballot. Signature requirements are the same as those for minor party candidates, which are listed above.[37]
Write-in candidates are permitted in both the primary and general elections. A write-in candidate must file an affidavit of intent with the Colorado Secretary of State no later than the close of business on the 67th day before a primary election and the 110th day before a general election. No write-in vote will be counted unless the candidate filed an affidavit of intent.[41][42][43]
Dave Young defeated Brian Watson and Gerald Kilpatrick in the general election for Colorado Treasurer on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Dave Young (D) | 52.2 | 1,292,281 | |
| Brian Watson (R) | 44.9 | 1,111,641 | ||
| Gerald Kilpatrick (American Constitution Party) | 2.8 | 70,475 | ||
| Total votes: 2,474,397 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Dave Young defeated Bernard Douthit in the Democratic primary for Colorado Treasurer on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Dave Young | 67.5 | 363,295 | |
| Bernard Douthit | 32.5 | 175,116 | ||
| Total votes: 538,411 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Brian Watson defeated Justin Everett and Polly Lawrence in the Republican primary for Colorado Treasurer on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brian Watson | 38.0 | 171,823 | |
| Justin Everett | 36.9 | 167,045 | ||
| Polly Lawrence | 25.1 | 113,673 | ||
| Total votes: 452,541 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
| Treasurer of Colorado, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 49.9% | 979,281 | ||
| Democratic | Betsy Markey | 44.9% | 882,437 | |
| Libertarian | David Jurist | 5.2% | 101,826 | |
| Total Votes | 1,963,544 | |||
| Election results via Colorado Secretary of State | ||||
This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:
| Colorado | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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