Colorado Supreme Court elections, 2018

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2018 election dates
Deadline to file candidacy
August 6, 2018
General election
November 6, 2018
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The term of one Colorado Supreme Court justice expired on January 7, 2019. That justice had to stand for retention in 2018 in order to remain on the bench.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Justice Richard Gabriel was appointed to the court in 2015 by Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper. He was required to stand for retention in November 2018 in order to remain on the bench for a full 10-year term.

  • Candidates

    General election candidates

    About the Colorado Supreme Court

    See also: Colorado Supreme Court

    The Colorado Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are appointed by the governor and then must stand for retention by voters thereafter. A full term on the court is 10 years. Retention elections take place during Colorado's general elections, which are held every two years in even-numbered years.

    Political composition

    This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2018 election. Justices in Colorado are appointed by the governor and retained by voters thereafter. Justices Nancy Rice, Richard Gabriel, Brian Boatright, William W. Hood, Melissa Hart, and Monica Márquez were appointed by Democratic governors. Justice Nathan Coats was appointed by Republican Governor Bill Owens.

    Chief Justice Nancy Rice Appointed by Roy Romer (D) in 1998
    Brian Boatright Appointed by John Hickenlooper (D) in 2011
    Nathan Coats Appointed by Bill Owens (R) in 2000
    Melissa Hart Appointed by John Hickenlooper (D) in 2017
    Richard Gabriel Appointed by John Hickenlooper (D) in 2015
    William W. Hood Appointed by John Hickenlooper (D) in 2014
    Monica Márquez Appointed by Bill Ritter (D) in 2010

    Selection

    See also: Judicial selection in Colorado

    Judges for the Colorado Supreme Court are each appointed by the governor from a list of names compiled by a nominating commission. Initial terms last at least two years, after which judges must stand for retention in a yes-no election. Subsequent terms last 10 years.[3]

    The court's chief justice is voted upon by the justices of the supreme court and serves indefinitely.[3]

    State profile

    Demographic data for Colorado
     ColoradoU.S.
    Total population:5,448,819316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):103,6423,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:84.2%73.6%
    Black/African American:4%12.6%
    Asian:2.9%5.1%
    Native American:0.9%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:3.5%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:21.1%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:90.7%86.7%
    College graduation rate:38.1%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$60,629$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:13.5%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Colorado

    Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Colorado, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[4]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Colorado had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

    More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia

    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    Four of 64 Colorado counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
    County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
    Conejos County, Colorado 3.56% 9.22% 12.93%
    Huerfano County, Colorado 6.61% 8.27% 11.23%
    Las Animas County, Colorado 15.60% 2.65% 7.04%
    Pueblo County, Colorado 0.50% 13.99% 14.97%

    In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Colorado with 48.2 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 43.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Colorado voted Republican 63.3 percent of the time and Democratic 36.7 percent of the time. Colorado voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but voted Democratic in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections.

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Colorado. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[5][6]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 37 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 27.3 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 40 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 28 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 25 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 25.8 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Colorado court elections' OR 'Colorado Supreme Court 2018' OR 'Colorado Supreme Court election'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    See also

    Colorado Judicial Selection More Courts
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,
    2. Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,
    3. 3.0 3.1 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Colorado," accessed August 10, 2016
    4. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
    5. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
    6. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017