2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado

2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado

←  2008 November 2, 2010 (2010-11-02) 2012  →
All 7 Colorado seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 2 5 Seats won 4 3 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 884,032 800,900 Percentage 50.1% 45.4% Swing 6.8% 9.7%
Republican   50–60%   60–70% Democratic   50–60%   60–70%

The 2010 congressional elections in Colorado were held on November 2, 2010 to determine who will represent the state of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 112th Congress.

Colorado has seven seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2008-2009 congressional delegation consisted of five Democrats and two Republicans.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado, 2010 [1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	884,032	50.14%	4	+2
	Democratic	800,900	45.42%	3	-2
	Libertarian	38,864	2.20%	0	—
	American Constitution	27,419	1.56%	0	—
	Other Parties	11,937	0.68%	0	—
Totals		1,763,152	100.00%	7	—

By district

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado by district: ^[2]

District	Republican		Democratic		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	59,747	28.97%	140,073	65.81%	7,931	5.22%	207,751	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 2	98,171	37.90%	148,720	57.41%	12,143	4.69%	259,034	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 3	129,257	50.10%	118,048	45.76%	10,694	4.14%	257,999	100.0%	Republican gain
District 4	138,634	52.48%	109,249	41.35%	16,298	6.17%	264,181	100.0%	Republican gain
District 5	152,829	65.75%	68,039	29.27%	11,566	4.98%	232,434	100.0%	Republican hold
District 6	217,368	65.68%	104,104	31.46%	9,471	2.86%	330,943	100.0%	Republican hold
District 7	88,026	41.76%	112,667	53.44%	10,117	4.80%	210,810	100.0%	Democratic hold
Total	884,032	50.14%	800,900	45.42%	78,220	4.44%	1,763,152	100.0%

District 1

See also: Colorado's 1st congressional district

Campaign

In this heavily liberal ^[3] district based in the city of Denver and some nearby suburbs, incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette ran for an eighth term in Congress. DeGette faced a nominal challenge in her re-election from Republican candidate Mike Fallon, Green Party candidate Gary Swing, Libertarian candidate Clint Jones, and Constitution Party candidate Chris Styskal. The Denver Post strongly endorsed DeGette for re-election, praising her for having "served [her] district well" and for being "a steady voice who has served the interests of her district and the nation." Congresswoman DeGette was heavily favored to win re-election, and on election day, she overwhelmingly won another term in Congress.

Results

Colorado's 1st congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Diana DeGette (incumbent)	140,073	67.42
	Republican	Mike Fallon	59,747	28.76
	Green	Gary Swing	2,923	1.41
	Libertarian	Clint Jones	2,867	1.38
	Constitution	Chris Styskal	2,141	1.03
Total votes			207,751	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 2

See also: Colorado's 2nd congressional district

Campaign

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jared Polis ran for a second term in Congress in this liberal district ^[3] based in the northwestern suburbs of Denver and several towns in the Rocky Mountains, including Vail, Grand Lake and Idaho Springs. Polis, one of the few openly gay members of Congress, ran for re-election against Republican nominee Stephen Bailey, Constitution Party candidate Jenna Goss, and Libertarian nominee Curtis Harris, and was strongly favored in the general election. As expected, Polis won by a wide margin, albeit a smaller one than this district is used to giving its Democratic representatives.

Results

Colorado's 2nd congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis (incumbent)	148,720	57.41
	Republican	Stephen Bailey	98,171	37.90
	Constitution	Jenna Goss	7,080	2.73
	Libertarian	Curtis Harris	5,056	1.95
	Write-ins		7	0.00
Total votes			259,034	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 3

See also: Colorado's 3rd congressional district

Campaign

This conservative-leaning ^[3] district, which encompasses all of the Western Slope and most of southern Colorado, had been represented by Democratic Congressman John Salazar, first elected in 2004 and the brother of United States Secretary of the Interior and former U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, ran for a fourth term against State Representative Scott Tipton, Salazar’s 2006 opponent. A contentious race ensued. Opponent Tipton attacked Congressman Salazar for voting for the 2009 Stimulus while Salazar retaliated that Tipton wanted to "[cut] Social Security and Medicare spending in half." ^[4]

While the Denver Post praised Scott Tipton as a state lawmaker who "is knowledgeable about the issues, and touts his private sector experience," the Post endorsed Salazar for re-election, citing his "ability to work with people from differing political views to seek solutions that work for the district." ^[5]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	John Salazar (D)	Scott Tipton (R)
The Hill/ANGA	October 19–21, 2010	43%	47%
American Action Forum	August 23–28, 2010	43%	51%
Magellan Strategies	August 17–19, 2010	43%	49%
Tarrance Group	December 8–9, 2009	46%	44%

Results

Colorado's 3rd congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Tipton	129,257	50.10
	Democratic	John Salazar (incumbent)	118,048	45.76
	Libertarian	Gregory Gilman	5,678	2.20
	Independent	Jake Segrest	4,982	1.93
	Write-ins		34	0.01
Total votes			257,999	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

District 4

2010 Colorado's 4th congressional district election

←  2008 2012  →

Nominee Cory Gardner Betsy Markey Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 138,634 109,249 Percentage 52.5% 41.4%

County Results Gardner:     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90% Markey:     40-50%     50-60%

U.S. Representative before election Betsy Markey Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Cory Gardner Republican

See also: Colorado's 4th congressional district

Campaign

Freshman Democratic Congresswoman Betsy Markey was initially elected to Congress in 2008 by defeating incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. Seeking a second term in this traditionally conservative ^[3] district that encompasses the Eastern Plains and most of the Front Range, Congresswoman Markey was challenged by State Representative Cory Gardner, the Republican nominee, as well as Constitution Party candidate Doug Aden and independent candidate Ken Waskiewicz.

Markey, seen as a vulnerable member of Congress ^[6] faced a tough challenge from Gardner. Challenger Gardner attacked Markey for supporting the 2009 Stimulus, asking rhetorically, "You want a shovel ready project we don't need? It's digging more debt," to which Markey responded, "I don't need to be lectured by someone who actually wants to tax the wind," a reference to a bill supported by Gardner in the state legislature that some claimed would allow for taxation of wind energy. ^[7] Gardner further attacked Markey for a variety of votes that she supposedly cast in a television advertisement, but controversy ensued and a local Fox News affiliate yanked the ad off the air when it came to surface that the votes that Congresswoman Markey "cast" were actually cast by Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey. ^[8]

The Denver Post, citing Gardner's reputation as a "go-to guy in the legislature" and praising his motivation to bring "fiscal discipline to government," endorsed the Republican, expressing their discontent with Markey for "[straying] to the left" during her time in Congress. ^[9]

Though polls indicated that Gardner held a narrow lead at best, Markey ultimately was defeated in her bid for a second term by a fairly comfortable eleven point margin of victory.

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Betsy Markey (D)	Cory Gardner (R)
The Hill/ANGA [ permanent dead link ]	September 25–27, 2010	41%	44%
Bennett, Petts & Normington	September 6–7, 2010	38%	38%
American Action Forum	August 23–28, 2010	39%	50%

Results

Colorado's 4th congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cory Gardner	138,634	52.48
	Democratic	Betsy Markey (incumbent)	109,249	41.35
	Constitution	Doug Aden	12,312	4.66
	Independent	Ken Waskiewicz	3,986	1.51
Total votes			264,181	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

District 5

See also: Colorado's 5th congressional district

Campaign

Incumbent Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn, first elected in 2006, ran for a third term in this heavily conservative ^[3] district that is largely based in metro Colorado Springs. Despite the fact that Lamborn was subjected to tough Republican primaries in both 2006 and 2008, the fact that he had a clear path to the Republican nomination practically handed the general election to him, since the primary is tantamount to election here. Congressman Lamborn faced Democratic businessman Kevin Bradley, along with several independent candidates, in the general election, all of whom he was able to beat handily.

Results

Colorado's 5th congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Lamborn (incumbent)	152,829	65.75
	Democratic	Kevin Bradley	68,039	29.27
	Constitution	Brian Scott	5,886	2.53
	Libertarian	Jerell Klaver	5,680	2.44
Total votes			232,434	100.00
	Republican hold

District 6

See also: Colorado's 6th congressional district

Campaign

In this conservative ^[3] district based in the southern suburbs of Denver and some parts of Aurora, freshman Republican Congressman Mike Coffman, who was elected to replace retiring Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo in 2008, ran for a second term. Though Democrats attempted to target Tancredo following the Columbine massacre due to the fact that Columbine High School is located in the district and Tancredo strongly supported the National Rifle Association of America, ^[10] winning the race was clearly not a priority for the Democrats in 2010, who nominated little-known candidate John Flerlage as their candidate. Coffman won an overwhelming re-election, as expected.^{[ citation needed ]}

Results

Colorado's 6th congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Coffman (incumbent)	217,368	65.68
	Democratic	John Flerlage	104,104	31.46
	Libertarian	Rob McNealy	9,466	2.86
	Write-ins		5	0.00
Total votes			330,943	100.00
	Republican hold

District 7

See also: Colorado's 7th congressional district

Campaign

In this liberal leaning ^[3] district rooted in the northern, eastern, and western suburbs of Denver as well as rural portions of Adams County, incumbent Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter ran for a third term. Perlmutter was re-elected in a landslide two years prior, but this year, he was a target in the eyes of the National Republican Congressional Committee. ^[11] Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier stepped up to the plate and challenged Congressman Perlmutter in the general election.

Both candidates levied heavy attacks against each other as election day drew nearer. Frazier attacked Perlmutter for supporting the 2009 Stimulus, decrying it as a waste of taxpayer money; Perlmutter provided evidence that a charter school that Frazier represented, as well as the city of Aurora, received stimulus money. ^[12] In a bizarre moment during the campaign, the two candidates were discussing health care reform at a debate when Frazier pointed his hand at Perlmutter, who slapped it away, apologizing immediately thereafter. ^[13]

The Denver Post, calling for "new blood in Congress," endorsed Frazier over Perlmutter, declaring that despite Frazier’s young age of 33, "his grasp on the key issues facing the country has grown considerably since he first surfaced on the political scene." The Post, meanwhile, criticized Congressman Perlmutter for being "a solid vote for the Democratic majority" and for supporting "the Obama Administration’s over-reaching agenda." ^[14]

Results

Colorado's 7th congressional district election, 2010 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Perlmutter (incumbent)	112,667	53.44
	Republican	Ryan Frazier	88,026	41.76
	Libertarian	Buck Bailey	10,117	4.80
Total votes			210,810	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Statistics of the Congressional Election" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. November 2, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
2. Haas, Karen L. (June 3, 2011). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
3. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.cookpolitical.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
4. "Fact Check: Scott Tipton vs. John Salazar". www.kktv.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
5. "Retain Salazar in 3rd District - The Denver Post". Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
6. "Democrats See Hopes for West Dim in Colorado". The New York Times. May 9, 2010. Archived from the original on May 12, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016.(subscription required)
7. "Betsy Markey Comes Out Swinging Against Cory Gardner At CD-4 Debate". HuffPost . Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
8. Roberts, Michael (October 20, 2010). "Cory Gardner: See attack ad on Betsy Markey (or was that Ed Markey?) Fox 31 decided to yank". westword.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
9. "Gardner right for the 4th CD - The Denver Post". Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
10. "Salon News | The congressman from Columbine". Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
11. Drehle, David Von (September 21, 2010). "2010: Races to Watch". Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016– via www.time.com.
12. Independent, Scot Kersgaard The Colorado (December 28, 2010). "Ryan Frazier's Charter School Actively Sought Stimulus Funds". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
13. "WATCH: Ed Perlmutter Slaps Ryan Frazier's Hand During Debate, Apologizes". huffingtonpost.com. October 18, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
14. "A fresh voice in the 7th District - The Denver Post". Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.

External links

• Elections Center Archived 2010-07-01 at the Wayback Machine from the Colorado Secretary of State
  • Official candidate list
• U.S. Congress candidates for Colorado at Project Vote Smart
• Colorado U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Colorado from OpenSecrets
• 2010 Colorado General Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
• House - Colorado from the Cook Political Report
• Election 2010 at The Denver Post

Preceded by 2008 elections

United States House elections in Colorado 2010

Succeeded by 2012 elections