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General election in Colorado |
Date: November 8, 2016 2016 winner: Hillary Clinton Electoral votes: Nine 2012 winner: Barack Obama (D) |
Democratic Caucuses |
Date: March 1, 2016 Winner: Bernie Sanders |
Republican Primary |
Date: March 1, 2016 Winner: - |
Down ballot races in Colorado |
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Colorado held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democratic and Republican caucuses took place on March 1, 2016, though Republicans did not hold a presidential preference poll with their caucuses. Colorado was considered a key battleground state in the 2016 general election.
The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Colorado secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.
U.S. presidential election, Colorado, 2016 | |||||
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Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 48.2% | 1,338,870 | 9 | |
Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 43.3% | 1,202,484 | 0 | |
American Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.4% | 11,699 | 0 | |
Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 5.2% | 144,121 | 0 | |
Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.4% | 38,437 | 0 | |
Approval Voting | Frank Atwood/Blake Huber | 0% | 337 | 0 | |
American Delta | Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0% | 1,255 | 0 | |
Prohibition | Jim Hedges/Bill Bayes | 0% | 185 | 0 | |
America's | Tom Hoefling/Steve Schulin | 0% | 710 | 0 | |
Veterans | Chris Keniston/Deacon Taylor | 0.2% | 5,028 | 0 | |
Socialist Workers | Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart | 0% | 452 | 0 | |
Independent American | Kyle Kenley Kopitke/Nathan R. Sorenson | 0% | 1,096 | 0 | |
Kotlikoff for President | Laurence Kotlikoff/Edward Lea | 0% | 392 | 0 | |
Socialism and Liberation | Gloria Estela La Riva/Dennis J. Banks | 0% | 531 | 0 | |
Nonviolent Resistance/Pacifist | Bradford Lyttle/Hannah Walsh | 0% | 382 | 0 | |
Independent People of Colorado | Joseph A. Maldonado/Douglass K. Terranova | 0% | 872 | 0 | |
American Solidarity | Michael A. Maturen/Juan Munoz | 0% | 862 | 0 | |
Unaffiliated | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 1% | 28,917 | 0 | |
Unaffiliated | Ryan Alan Scott/Bruce Kendall Barnard | 0% | 749 | 0 | |
Nutrition | Rod Silva/Richard C. Silva | 0% | 751 | 0 | |
Unaffiliated | Mike Smith/Daniel White | 0.1% | 1,819 | 0 | |
Socialist Party USA | Emidio Soltysik/Angela Nicole Walker | 0% | 271 | 0 | |
- | Other/Write-in | 0% | 27 | 0 | |
Total Votes | 2,780,247 | 9 | |||
Election results via: Federal Election Commission |
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[2] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.
Below is an analysis of Colorado's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.
Between 1900 and 2016:
*An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.
U.S. presidential election, Colorado, 2012 | |||||
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Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent | 51.5% | 1,323,102 | 9 | |
Republican | Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan | 46.1% | 1,185,243 | 0 | |
Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Jim Gray | 1.4% | 35,545 | 0 | |
Green | Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala | 0.3% | 7,508 | 0 | |
Constitution | Virgil Goode/James Clymer | 0.2% | 6,234 | 0 | |
Peace & Freedom | Roseanne Barr/Cindy Sheehan | 0.2% | 5,059 | 0 | |
N/A | Other candidates | 0.3% | 6,831 | 0 | |
Total Votes | 2,569,522 | 9 | |||
Election results via: Colorado Secretary of State |
U.S. presidential election, Colorado, 2008 | |||||
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Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 53.7% | 1,288,633 | 9 | |
Republican | John McCain/Sarah Palin | 44.7% | 1,073,629 | 0 | |
Peace and Freedom | Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez | 0.6% | 13,352 | 0 | |
Libertarian | Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root | 0.5% | 10,898 | 0 | |
Independent American | Alan Keyes/Brian Rohrbough | 0.1% | 3,051 | 0 | |
Green | Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente | 0.1% | 2,822 | 0 | |
Constitution | Chuck Baldwin/Darrell L. Castle | 0.3% | 6,233 | 0 | |
N/A | Other candidates | 0.1% | 2,844 | 0 | |
Total Votes | 2,401,462 | 9 | |||
Election results via: Colorado Secretary of State |
Ballotpedia's battleground state polling averages were based on polls that came out over a 20- to 30-day period. For example, an average might have covered all polls that were released for a state between September 1, 2016, and September 30, 2016. They were not weighted. Polling averages were checked and updated daily.
The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.
In 2016, Colorado had nine electoral votes. Colorado's share of electoral votes represented 1.7 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 3.3 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Democratic and Republican electors in Colorado were selected at state party conventions.
The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.
Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[5][6]
Colorado was one of 31 states in 2016—including the District of Columbia—with a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.
Prior to the November 8, 2016, election, each campaign put in place paid staff, volunteers, and political operatives in each state in efforts to gain votes and influence voter turnout on election day. The following details some of the key staff for each campaign in Colorado.
For Hillary Clinton's campaign, state operations nationwide were overseen by Marlon Marshall, the campaign's director of state campaigns and political engagement. The key staff in Colorado consisted of:
Emmy Ruiz, State director: Ruiz was named state director in April 2016. During the 2016 primary election, she was Clinton's state director for the Nevada caucus. Prior to working on Clinton's 2016 campaign, Ruiz was involved in Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, and was the political director for Annie's List, an organization that recruits Democratic women to run for office in Texas.[7] |
Lisa Changadveja, Coordinated campaign director: Changadveja directed coordinated efforts for Clinton's efforts during the Nevada caucuses. Prior to working with Clinton in 2016, she worked with the Democratic Party of Colorado and on Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[8] |
For Donald Trump's campaign, state operations nationwide were overseen by Michael Biundo, the campaign's senior political advisor. The key staff in Colorado consisted of:
Patrick Davis, State director: Davis joined the Trump campaign in April 2016 when the Republican Party of Colorado was selecting its delegates for the Republican National Convention. He formerly directed the Republican Party of South Dakota and worked as the political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Davis is the owner of a national consulting firm, Patrick Davis Consulting, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[9] |
Below is a list of down ballot races in Colorado covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.
Democrats:
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Republicans:
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Bernie Sanders won the 2016 Colorado Democratic caucus. Sanders swept nearly all western and central counties and urban areas of the state.[10] In 2008, Barack Obama won the Colorado Democratic caucus with 67 percent of the vote. In 2008, Hillary Clinton came in second with 32 percent, and in 2016, Clinton finished second with 40 percent.[11] A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in Colorado in November 2015 showed Clinton leading the Democratic field with 55 percent. The same poll found that Clinton had the lowest favorability rating of any top candidate in Colorado, but was rated highest for having the right experience to be president.[12]
At the district and state GOP conventions in Colorado in April, Ted Cruz won 30 delegates who pledged their support to him on their intent-to-run forms, while four others, who were elected as uncommitted delegates, verbally pledged their support for Cruz.[13]
In August 2015, the Colorado GOP cancelled its presidential preference poll, which was scheduled to coincide with the Republican caucuses on March 1, 2016. According to The Denver Post, the Republican executive committee "voted to cancel the traditional presidential preference poll after the national party changed its rules to require a state's delegates to support the candidate that wins the caucus vote." Colorado Republicans still sent delegates to the Republican National Convention in July 2016. District-level and at-large delegates (34) were bound according to the preferred candidates indicated on their intent-to-run forms. RNC delegates (3) were unbound, meaning that they did not have to pledge their support to a given candidate.[14] Though Republican precinct caucuses were held on March 1 in Colorado, Colorado Republican National Convention delegates were chosen at district conventions and the Colorado state GOP convention in April.[15] Colorado Republican Party rules required participants in the district conventions and statewide convention to have participated in the precinct caucuses.[13]
Colorado Democratic Caucus, 2016 | ||||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
Bernie Sanders | 59% | 72,846 | 41 | |
Hillary Clinton | 40.3% | 49,789 | 25 | |
Other | 0.7% | 822 | 0 | |
Totals | 123,457 | 66 | ||
Source: Colorado Democratic Party and CNN |
The Colorado GOP did not hold a presidential preference poll in 2016. Delegates to the national convention were elected at district conventions and the state convention in April. Ted Cruz won 30 delegates who pledged their support for him on their intent-to-run forms. Four other delegates verbally pledged their support for Cruz. Precinct caucuses were held on March 1, 2016.[13]
Colorado had 78 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 66 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide caucus results.[16][17]
Twelve party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[16][18]
Colorado had 37 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 21 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's seven congressional districts). Thirteen delegates served at large. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as delegates to the Republican National Convention.[19][20]
In 2015, the Republican Party of Colorado decided not to conduct a presidential preference poll in 2016. As a result, according to the Republican National Committee, all delegates were bound according to the preferred candidates indicated on their intent-to-run forms. RNC delegates were unbound, meaning that they did not have to pledge their support to a given candidate.[19][21]
Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Colorado) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Hillary Clinton | Bernie Sanders | Martin O'Malley | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
Quinnipiac University November 11-15, 2015 | 55% | 27% | 2% | 15% | +/-4.9 | 404 | |||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Republican Party presidential primary polling (Colorado) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Ben Carson | Marco Rubio | Donald Trump | Ted Cruz | Carly Fiorina | Rand Paul | Jeb Bush | Chris Christie | Mike Huckabee | John Kasich | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||
Quinnipiac University November 11-15, 2015 | 25% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 12% | +/-4.5 | 474 | ||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Colorado presidential election results (1900-2024)
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 | 2024 |
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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 | D |
Demographic data for Colorado | ||
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Colorado | U.S. | |
Total population: | 5,448,819 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 103,642 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 84.2% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 4% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 2.9% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 3.5% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 21.1% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 90.7% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 38.1% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $60,629 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 13.5% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado. **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. |
Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Colorado, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[22]
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Colorado had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia
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