Polls for the Midterm election closed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m.. This midterm, for the first time in eight years, ended in a shift to the Republican Party’s control of both the House and the Senate.
Colorado Midterm Results
Republican Cory Gardner defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Udall in the Colorado Senate race by a margin of 49 percent to Udall’s 45 percent. This was one of six necessary senator changes that led to the shift in party control.
Durango’s 59th district state representative race is still too close to call, with Democratic incumbent Mike McLachlan and Republican J. Paul Brown still contending for the position. As of Wednesday evening, the Durango Herald reported a margin of 292 votes in Brown’s favor.
While Brown has taken to Facebook to announce his victory, McLachlan contests that the race is yet to be definitive.
“There is still some counting to do. I will be able to make an official announcement when all the ballots are counted,” McLachlan said over the phone when asked for comment.
Out of the four issues appearing on Colorado’s midterm ballot, only one, Proposition 104, passed. This meant a failure for Amendments 67 and 68 as well as a failure of Proposition 105.
The passing of Proposition 104 states that all school districts in Colorado will now mandate that their educational boards be open to the public.
The failure of Amendment 67, the Personhood Amendment, will continue to recognize abortion as legal in the state of Colorado.
If enactment of Amendment 68 had gone through, Colorado would have seen an expansion of existing horse racing tracks into much larger Las Vegas-style casinos. The profits of such growth would have gone to K-12 education.
The failure of Proposition 105 means that Colorado will continue to not necessitate food manufacturers to label their products as being genetically engineered.
The election for City Commissioner of Durango was within the margin of error as of Wednesday afternoon. The results thus far indicate a difference of merely 100 votes.
Results from Around the Country
This was the most expensive midterm election in American history nationwide. The Center for Responsive Politics predicted that the 2014 election cycle cost at least $3.67 billion. This is a slight increase from the 2010 midterm election, which topped off at about $3.63 billion.
Republican Mitch McConnell defeated Alison Lundergan Grimes and was reelected to his position as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky for the sixth term in a row. This makes McConnell the longest running Senator in KY history. With the Republicans now in control of the Senate, McConnell will be majority leader.
Greg Abbott secured the Texas Governorship over the Democratic challenger Wendy Davis by a margin of 59 percent to Davis’ 38 percent.
Susana Martinez, representing the Republican party, defeated Gary King, a democrat, in the New Mexico gubernatorial election.
Although there are some members of the Republican party who are seen as extreme far right, many members of the party understand that moderation is going to be key in order to maintain positive public opinion, said Chase Gaumond, a senator of The Associated Students of Fort Lewis College.
The state of Oregon has voted to pass Measure 91. Alaska also passed a similar decree, Measure 2, and the District of Columbia passed Initiative 71. These ballot measures all move to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. have now passed legislation permitting recreational marijuana.