2012 Colorado Senate election

Last updated

2012 Colorado Senate election
Flag of Colorado.svg
 20106 November 2012 2013 (recall)  

20 out of 35 seats in the Colorado Senate
18 seats needed for a majority
 Majority partyMinority party
  Brandon Shaffer Portrait.jpg Sen. Bill Cadman (6241451343).jpg
Leader Brandon Shaffer
(Term-limited)
Bill Cadman
(Redistricted)
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since6 May 200921 October 2011
Leader's seat District 17 District 10
Last election2015
Seats after2015
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote714,492587,261
Percentage52.64%43.27%

President before election

Brandon Shaffer
Democratic

Elected President

John Morse
Democratic

The 2012 Colorado Senate election was held on 6 November 2012 to determine which party would control the Colorado Senate for the following two years in the 69th Colorado General Assembly. Twenty out of 35 seats in the Colorado Senate were up for election and the primary was held on 26 June 2012. Prior to the election, 20 seats were held by Democrats and 15 seats were held by Republicans. This was the first election following the redistricting of Colorado's legislative seats in 2011. The general election saw neither party lose nor gain any seats, meaning that the Democrats retained their majority in the State Senate. [1] [2]

Contents

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Governing [3] Lean D24 October 2012

Retirements

Democrats

  1. District 14: Bob Bacon was term-limited.
  2. District 17: Brandon Shaffer was term-limited.
  3. District 21: Betty Boyd was term-limited.
  4. District 30: Suzanne Williams was term-limited.
  5. District 35: Joyce Foster retired.

Republicans

  1. District 7: Shawn Mitchell was term-limited.
  2. District 12: Keith King retired.
  3. District 22: Tim Neville retired.
  4. District 27: Nancy Spence was term-limited.

Defeated incumbents

Primary

Republicans

  1. District 8: Jean White lost renomination to Randy Baumgardner.

Closest races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. District 19, 1.00%
  2. District 35, 2.00% (gain)
  3. District 22, 6.00% (gain)
  4. District 8, 7.00%
  5. District 26, 8.00%

Results

District 4

District 4 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mark Scheffel (incumbent) 50,173 64.00%
Democratic Holly Gorman24,96832.00%
Libertarian Chris Grundemann3,4374.00%
Total votes78,578 100.0%
Republican hold

District 8

District 8 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Randy Baumgardner 34,187 51.00%
Democratic Emily Tracy29,68844.00%
Libertarian Sacha L. Weis3,0795.00%
Total votes66,954 100.0%
Republican hold

District 10

District 10 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Owen Hill 44,200 73.00%
Libertarian Brandon Hughes10,25517.00%
American Constitution Christopher Mull5,72110.00%
Total votes60,176 100.0%
Republican hold

District 12

District 12 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Bill Cadman (incumbent) 34,673 68.00%
Libertarian Dave Respecki8,60317.00%
American Constitution James Michael Bristol7,76215.00%
Total votes51,038 100.0%
Republican hold

District 14

District 14 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John Kefalas 46,673 58.00%
Republican Syndi Anderson28,87436.00%
Libertarian Jeff Johnston3,1664.00%
Independent Barrett Rothe1,8282.00%
Total votes80,541 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 17

District 17 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Matt Jones 45,426 62.00%
Republican Charlie Plagainos23,98333.00%
Libertarian Ken Bray3,8485.00%
Total votes73,257 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 18

District 18 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Rollie Heath (incumbent) 66,619 78.00%
Republican Barry Thoma18,42722.00%
Total votes85,046 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 19

District 19 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Evie Hudak (incumbent) 35,664 47.00%
Republican Lang Sias35,08046.00%
Libertarian Lloyd A. Sweeny5,1047.00%
Total votes75,848 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 21

District 21 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jessie Ulibarri 30,308 65.00%
Republican Francine Bigelow16,37335.00%
Total votes46,681 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 22

District 22 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Andy Kerr 38,845 53.00%
Republican Ken Summers35,00847.00%
Total votes73,853 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

District 23

District 23 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Vicki Marble 43,949 56.00%
Democratic Lee Kemp34,25244.00%
Total votes78,201 100.0%
Republican hold

District 25

District 25 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Mary Hodge (incumbent) 27,961 55.00%
Republican John Sampson20,31040.00%
Libertarian Ronald G. Schweizer2,4615.00%
Total votes50,732 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 26

District 26 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Linda Newell (incumbent) 38,744 54.00%
Republican Dave Kerber32,89046.00%
Total votes71,634 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 27

District 27 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican David Balmer 42,411 55.00%
Democratic David Paladino34,95745.00%
Total votes77,368 100.0%
Republican hold

District 28

District 28 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Nancy Todd 37,181 58.00%
Republican John Lyons24,47538.00%
Libertarian Robert Harrison2,4594.00%
Total votes64,115 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 29

District 29 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Morgan Carroll (incumbent) 30,149 59.00%
Republican William Ross II18,74537.00%
Libertarian Michele Rae Poague2,4204.00%
Total votes51,314 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 31

District 31 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Pat Steadman (incumbent) 54,390 70.00%
Republican Michael Carr23,42530.00%
Total votes77,815 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 32

District 32 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Irene Aguilar (incumbent) 47,995 70.00%
Republican Roger Logan20,50530.00%
Total votes68,500 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 33

District 33 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Michael Johnston (incumbent) 51,357 82.00%
Republican Jason DeBerry8,45614.00%
Libertarian Courtney Kolva2,5794.00%
Total votes62,392 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 35

District 35 election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Larry Crowder 31,117 49.00%
Democratic Crestina Martinez29,61847.00%
Libertarian William Bartley2,4614.00%
Total votes63,196 100.0%
Republican gain from Democratic

References

  1. "Colorado State Senate elections, 2012". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  2. "Search Past Elections Archive". historicalelectiondata.coloradosos.gov. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  3. Daigneau, Elizabeth; Jacobson, Louis (23 October 2012). "The Latest Chamber-by-Chamber Analysis of the 2012 State Legislative Elections". Governing. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2025.