It was Donald Trump’s day, but not in a good way.
The president wasn’t even on the ballot, of course. Yet years of polling and punditry attesting to his deep unpopularity with the political middle — and his potential to taint the Republican brand — culminated in Tuesday’s Democratic landslide.
Of course, it wasn’t just in Colorado. If misery loves company, our state’s center-right could take an odd sort of solace in knowing they weren’t alone, for a change, in experiencing the anti-Trump backlash. High-profile races across the country — even for Texas governor and U.S. senator — fell to Democrats as a result.
But in Colorado — given what already was Democratic Party dominance of state government — the Trump effect was even more pronounced in race after race even if it wasn’t surprising in every case.
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To be sure, there was no reason to expect much of the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee, Victor Marx. He was trounced as anticipated, 2-to-1, by Attorney General Phil Weiser. Marx’s outlandish candidacy was largely discredited and rightly written off by the time he narrowly won last June’s GOP primary.
But congressional seats were another matter, with all Republican contenders, who had been endorsed by The Gazette’s editorial board, either losing or on the ropes as of late Tuesday evening.
The Pikes Peak region’s historically Republican 5th Congressional District — it hadn’t elected a Democrat since the district’s creation in 1972 — appeared poised to unseat first-term GOP incumbent Jeff Crank as of press time Tuesday night. The rock-ribbed-Republican 4th Congressional District was about to do the same to GOP incumbent Lauren Boebert. 3rd Congressional District Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd was neck and neck with his Democratic challenger as of press time, too.
And a congressional race that was supposed to be too close for comfort — wasn’t. First-term Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans lost decisively to his Democratic opponent.
Congratulations to Colorado Gov.-elect Phil Weiser. He will have his work cut out for him if he is to rein in what, in Colorado’s current climate, is sure to be an even more left-leaning legislature. It has taken a massive toll on the state’s ability to attract business investment and create jobs.
If Amendment 87’s $2.7 billion “progressive” tax hike passes — it was leading narrowly at press time — it will further embolden ruling Democrats to grow government willy-nilly on Weiser’s watch. He came out against the ballot measure only days ago at the very end of the campaign. Now, he might wind up presiding over how the massive tax windfall is spent.
The same goes for Proposition NN, which effectively will end the state’s popular TABOR refunds for the foreseeable future and appeared to have passed Tuesday evening. It, too, will funnel a new torrent of revenue into state coffers, purportedly for public schools.
The Gazette editorial board had counseled voters against both measures. At taxpayers’ considerable expense, 87 and NN will further engorge a state government that has proven time and again it cannot responsibly manage the money it already has.
Tuesday’s bottom line stands to be a costly one for Colorado voters concerned about the state’s economy, business climate, ability to produce jobs and generally sustain a high quality of life.
But the majority nonetheless made its will clear. It’s unfortunate the nation’s president played a role in that.
The question now is whether Weiser will be able figure out exactly what that majority expects. And will he be able to deliver?
