Colorado isn't a swing state anymore. It’s a fact that makes some locals cheer and others grumble into their craft beers, but the 2024 results hammered that point home with a heavy mallet. If you’re asking who won in Colorado, the short answer is Kamala Harris and the Democratic ticket, but that barely scratches the surface of what actually happened on the ground from Denver to Grand Junction.
The numbers tell a story of a state that has fundamentally decoupled itself from its "purple" past.
Harris took the state by a margin of about 11 points. It wasn't the 13.5-point blowout Joe Biden enjoyed in 2020, but it was more than enough to keep Colorado’s 10 electoral votes firmly in the blue column. While much of the country saw a massive shift toward Donald Trump, Colorado remained an island of relative stability for the Democratic Party, even as specific counties and demographics started to show some hairline fractures in the liberal coalition.
The Big Picture: Top of the Ticket Results
Let's look at the raw reality. Kamala Harris secured roughly 54% of the vote. Donald Trump pulled in about 43%.
It’s tempting to look at those numbers and think nothing changed. That’s a mistake. Honestly, the most interesting part of the 2024 cycle wasn't that the Democrats won; it was how the GOP managed to claw back a few percentage points in places that used to be deep blue strongholds.
Trump’s performance in Colorado was actually better than his 2020 run.
Back then, he lost by over 400,000 votes. This time, the gap narrowed slightly. You’ve got to look at the suburbs to see why. Places like Arapahoe and Jefferson County—the crown jewels of the "Front Range" political machine—still went for Harris, but the margins weren't as suffocating as they were four years ago.
People are feeling the pinch. Whether it’s the soaring cost of housing in Denver or the price of a ribeye in Colorado Springs, economic anxiety played a role here just like it did in Pennsylvania or Michigan. It just wasn't enough to flip the state.
Who Won in Colorado’s Congressional Races?
Down-ballot, the story got a lot more intense.
If you want to talk about high stakes, you have to talk about the 8th Congressional District. This is Colorado’s newest seat, created after the 2020 census, and it is the definition of a toss-up. It covers a chunk of the northern suburbs and stretches into Weld County's oil and gas country.
GOP challenger Gabe Evans unseated Democratic incumbent Yadira Caraveo in a race that was essentially a coin flip until the very last ballots were tallied.
This was a massive win for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Evans, a former police officer and Army veteran, leaned heavily into messaging about crime and the cost of living. Caraveo, a pediatrician, tried to keep the focus on healthcare and reproductive rights. In the end, the shift in the Latino vote—which is a huge demographic in the 8th—tilted toward Evans.
It was a microcosm of the national trend.
Meanwhile, in the 3rd District—the seat famously formerly held by Lauren Boebert—Republican Jeff Hurd managed to keep the seat in GOP hands. Many pundits thought that without Boebert’s controversial "brand" on the ballot, the seat might flip to Democrat Adam Frisch. It didn't. Hurd ran a disciplined, quiet campaign focused on water rights and energy, proving that "boring" can be a very effective political strategy in rural Colorado.
The Boebert Gamble
You can't talk about Colorado politics without mentioning Lauren Boebert.
She pulled off one of the gutsiest (or most desperate, depending on who you ask) political maneuvers in recent history by switching districts. She moved from the 3rd District on the Western Slope to the 4th District on the Eastern Plains.
She won. Handily.
The 4th District is arguably the reddest part of the state. It’s ranching country. It’s small towns. It’s a place where the MAGA message resonates without the interference of Denver’s liberal gravity. By moving, Boebert traded a precarious re-election battle for a safe harbor. She defeated Democrat Ike McCorkle by a wide margin, ensuring her voice stays in D.C. for at least another two years.
Ballot Initiatives: What Else Coloradans Decided
Voters didn't just pick people. They picked policies. And in Colorado, the ballot is usually ten miles long.
One of the most watched measures was Amendment 79. This was the big one regarding abortion access. Coloradans voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. Not only that, but it also repealed a decades-old ban on using public funds for abortion services.
It passed with room to spare.
This reinforces the idea that while Colorado might be getting more frustrated with the economy, it remains socially very liberal.
Then there was the "trophy hunting" ban, Proposition 127. This was a wild ride. It sought to ban the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats. This wasn't a partisan issue so much as a "city vs. country" issue. People in Boulder and Denver generally supported it; people in the mountains and on the plains hated it.
The "No" votes won.
Hunters and wildlife managers argued that the ban would wreak havoc on the ecosystem and take away the tools needed to manage predator populations. The voters agreed, marking a rare win for rural interests over the more populous urban corridors.
Why the GOP is Finding a Foothold Again
Don’t call it a comeback, but the Colorado GOP is no longer in a total freefall.
Under new leadership and a shift in strategy, they've started to focus on "kitchen table" issues. For a long time, the state party was embroiled in internal civil war. While those tensions still exist, the 2024 results suggest that a more focused message on the economy can peel away voters in the suburbs.
Look at Douglas County. It’s wealthy, educated, and historically Republican. It moved toward the Democrats during the Trump years. In 2024, the slide stopped.
The Democrats, on the other hand, are facing a "governing" problem. They have a supermajority in the state legislature and they hold every statewide office. When things go wrong—like the skyrocketing property taxes or the perceived rise in retail theft—there is no one else to blame.
Voters started to express that frustration at the polls. They didn't hand the keys back to the Republicans, but they definitely tapped the brakes on some of the more progressive ambitions.
The Demographic Shift
Colorado is changing. Fast.
The state is becoming more diverse, but not necessarily in the way that automatically benefits Democrats. The 2024 data shows that Latino voters in the San Luis Valley and the northern industrial corridor are not a monolith.
Many of these voters are socially conservative and economically pragmatic. When the price of diesel goes up, it hits a Latino trucker in Greeley just as hard as a white rancher in Sterling.
Also, the "California Exodus" is real, but it’s a double-edged sword. While many newcomers bring liberal values, many others are moving to Colorado specifically to escape the high taxes and regulations of the West Coast. These "political refugees" are bolstering the conservative base in places like Colorado Springs and the northern suburbs.
Summary of Key Winners in Colorado 2024:
- Kamala Harris (Presidential): Maintained the state’s blue status.
- Gabe Evans (CD-8): Flipped a crucial seat for the GOP.
- Lauren Boebert (CD-4): Successfully migrated and won her new home.
- Jeff Hurd (CD-3): Kept the Western Slope Republican.
- Constitutional Abortion Rights: Secured a massive victory via Amendment 79.
- Mountain Lions: Stayed on the hunting list after Prop 127 failed.
Actionable Steps for Staying Informed
Political landscapes shift between election cycles. If you want to keep track of how these winners are actually governing, you need to go beyond the headlines.
- Track the 8th District: Gabe Evans will be under a microscope. Watch how he votes on energy policy, as that was a key part of his platform.
- Watch the State Legislature: With a slightly narrowed mandate, see if the Democratic supermajority in Denver moderates its stance on property tax relief.
- Monitor Judicial Appointments: With Amendment 79 passing, legal challenges are likely. Keep an eye on how the state courts handle the implementation of public funding for reproductive services.
- Sign up for non-partisan trackers: Use sites like Ballotpedia or the Colorado Secretary of State’s website to see how local school board and county commission races—often the best indicators of future trends—actually shook out in your specific area.
The 2024 results proved that while Colorado is blue, it isn't a solid block of granite. It’s more like a river—mostly flowing one way, but with plenty of eddies and undercurrents that can pull you in a different direction if you aren't paying attention.