Colorado Democrats Sweep Top Races as Weiser Wins Governor and Hickenlooper Keeps Senate

Democrats won both of Colorado's top statewide races on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, as Phil Weiser was projected to win the governor's race and Senator John Hickenlooper won re-election, completing a Colorado Democrats sweep of the offices at the top of the state's ballot. Both results were called on election night.

Weiser, Colorado's attorney general, was projected governor by CBS News and the Associated Press shortly after polls closed, beating Republican Victor Marx, a minister. Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and former Colorado governor, was projected to win re-election by CNN and Fox News shortly after 7 p.m. Mountain Time, beating Republican state Senator Mark Baisley. Associated Press figures showed both Democrats with more than 1.17 million votes each, with roughly three-quarters of precincts reporting.

Key Points

• Phil Weiser, Colorado's attorney general, was projected to win the Colorado governor's race on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Victor Marx.
• Senator John Hickenlooper won re-election, beating Republican state Senator Mark Baisley, according to projections by CNN and Fox News.
• Decision Desk HQ showed Weiser ahead by about 34 points at 44% reporting, and Hickenlooper ahead by about 30 points.
• Associated Press figures showed Weiser with 1,183,680 votes and Hickenlooper with 1,175,232 votes, each at more than 73% of precincts reporting.
• Weiser succeeds term-limited Governor Jared Polis, after beating Senator Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary for governor.

What Happened

Colorado voters went to the polls on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, and the state's two biggest races were called relatively quickly. Weiser's victory was projected shortly after polls closed, and Hickenlooper's re-election was projected shortly after 7 p.m. Mountain Time. Neither race waited for a drawn-out count: the early projections, and the size of the leads shown by Decision Desk HQ, pointed to comfortable Democratic wins.

In the governor's race, Decision Desk HQ showed Weiser ahead by about 34 points when 44% of the vote had been reported. The Associated Press later showed Weiser with 1,183,680 votes, with its call marker at 73.24% of precincts reporting. Those were election-night counts, not certified final totals, but the direction was clear from the first projections: Weiser had won the race to become Colorado's next governor.

In the Senate race, the pattern was similar. Decision Desk HQ showed Hickenlooper ahead by about 30 points, and the Associated Press showed him with 1,175,232 votes at 73.52% of precincts reporting. Hickenlooper, first elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving as Denver's mayor and then as Colorado's governor, defeated Baisley to win another term. The two wins came from the same electorate on the same night, producing a clean top-of-the-ticket sweep.

Background/Context

The governor's race was an open-seat contest, because Governor Jared Polis could not seek another term. That made the Democratic primary unusually important, and Weiser won it, beating Senator Michael Bennet to secure the nomination. His general-election opponent, Victor Marx, is a minister who ran as the Republican nominee. Weiser entered the general election as a statewide officeholder, having served as Colorado's attorney general.

The Senate race featured an incumbent defending his seat. Hickenlooper's career spans three levels of Colorado government: Denver mayor, Colorado governor, and, from 2020, United States senator. His opponent, Mark Baisley, served as a Republican state senator. The fundraising gap was striking: Hickenlooper raised about $9.5 million, compared with about $138,210 for Baisley, reflecting both the incumbent's national reach and the difficulty his challenger faced in building a comparable campaign.

Colorado Democrats Sweep: What the Margins Show

The margins reported on election night were the most telling detail. A lead of about 34 points for Weiser at 44% reporting, and about 30 points for Hickenlooper, are not narrow wins. They suggest victories that were never seriously in doubt once counting began, and they stand in contrast to the close races that defined other states on the same night.

The vote totals underline the same point. Both men passed 1.17 million votes while roughly a quarter of precincts were still to report. Final certified totals will differ from the election-night figures, as late ballots are counted, but the projections were based on a substantial share of the vote and on leads far larger than the remaining uncertainty. Election-night projections are not official results, but they establish the outcome: Weiser as governor-elect and Hickenlooper as re-elected senator.

Reactions/Quotes

The clearest reaction on election night came from the projections themselves. CBS News and the Associated Press called the governor's race for Weiser shortly after polls closed, while CNN and Fox News called the Senate race for Hickenlooper shortly after 7 p.m. Mountain Time. When outlets across the spectrum agree on a call within hours of polls closing, it signals a result that is not in dispute, and neither campaign was reported to have contested the outcome on election night.

Why It Matters

The sweep matters first because it decides who governs Colorado and who represents the state in the Senate. Weiser will take office in January 2027, succeeding Polis, and will shape state policy on the budget, schools and public safety. Hickenlooper's re-election keeps a senior Colorado Democrat in the Senate at a time when the chamber's balance of power was being decided nationally.

Second, the results confirm Colorado's place in the current political map. A state that once swung between parties in statewide races has now delivered two wide Democratic wins at the top of the ticket in the same night. Democrats can treat Colorado as a reliable base, while Republicans face a longer rebuilding task where their top-of-ticket candidates lost by roughly 30 points or more.

What Happens Next

Colorado election officials will finish counting ballots, including mail ballots, and will then certify the results. The certified totals will replace the election-night figures, and the final margins may shift slightly, though the winners are already projected and are not expected to change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Colorado governor's race in 2026?

Phil Weiser, Colorado's attorney general, was projected to win on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Victor Marx. He succeeds term-limited Governor Jared Polis and takes office in January 2027.

Who won the Colorado Senate race in 2026?

Senator John Hickenlooper won re-election, beating Republican state Senator Mark Baisley. Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and Colorado governor, was first elected to the Senate in 2020.

How large were the Democrats' leads in Colorado?

Decision Desk HQ showed Weiser ahead by about 34 points at 44% reporting and Hickenlooper ahead by about 30 points. Each Democrat had more than 1.17 million votes at more than 73% of precincts reporting.

Are the Colorado results final?

The results are projections based on a large share of the counted vote, not yet certified final totals. Certification will follow the full count, but the leads are far too large for the remaining ballots to change either outcome.

When do Weiser and Hickenlooper take office?

Weiser takes office as governor in January 2027. Hickenlooper's new Senate term begins with the next Congress, following his re-election on 3 November 2026.

Read more on election night 2026: Democrats flip two Pennsylvania House seats, Katie Hobbs wins second term as Arizona governor and Helena Foulkes wins Rhode Island governor race.