Election 2020: Biden, Hickenlooper win Colorado soon after polls close

Democratic challenger Joe Biden won Colorado in his bid for the White House, sprinting to a hefty lead over Republican President Donald Trump in the state soon after polls closed Tuesday night, while Democratic challenger John Hickenlooper unseated Republican incumbent Cory Gardner in their race for U.S. Senate.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. across Colorado in an election that saw record-setting voter turnout.

The Associated Press declared Colorado for Biden just 36 minutes after voting ended, and Hickenlooper was named the winner by AP 42 minutes after polls closed.

“We’ve got to get Washington working for everyone,” Hickenooper said via Facebook Live, as quoted by The Colorado Sun. “ … I want you to know I will work with anyone and everyone to help Coloradans.”

He also thanked Gardner for his service.

In his concession speech, Gardner said: “To all the people who supported our efforts … (Hickenlooper’s) success is Colorado’s success, and our nation and our state need him to succeed. We need to be united together.”

At 9 p.m., with about 74% of the state’s vote counted, Biden was ahead of Trump in Colorado by a margin of 57% to 41% in the presidential race, and Hickenlooper led Gardner by a 55%-to-43% split.

It appeared Biden would wind up beating Trump in Colorado by a wider margin than Democrat Hillary Clinton did four years ago; she won the state by less than 5 percentage points.

Even while voting was still underway, a victory was scored Tuesday: Coloradans cast more votes in an election than ever before. As of 7 p.m., 3,145,626 ballots had been returned, topping the former record of 2,855,257 set in 2016, the last presidential election year, according to Secretary of State Jena Griswald.

For months, surveys showed Biden leading Trump in the state, with recent polls showing the former vice president ahead by an average of 13 percentage points. And Hickenlooper, a former governor and Denver mayor, also led in numerous recent polls.

Colorado voters also voted in seven regional races for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as for their local members of the state Senate and House, both of which are now led by Democrats.

In the race for an open seat in Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District, Republican Lauren Boebert held a narrow lead over Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush in partial returns as of 9 p.m. election night. In other congressional races, the incumbents appeared to be headed to victory.

Voters also decided 11 statewide ballot measures on such matters as abortion, taxation, wolves and how to choose future presidents. And they selected district attorneys, representatives on the Regional Transportation District, and county leaders, among other races. Check back with rmpbs.org for results of key Colorado races.

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“The Choice 2020,” biographies of Trump and Biden, here