Democrats lost their supermajority in the Colorado House after prolonged vote counting showed the party losing key seats needed to maintain their two-thirds majority. 

While two races will have mandatory recounts due to their close margins, if the current results hold, Democrats will have only a simple majority in the chamber for the next two years. In 2022, the party saw success in several unexpected districts, handing them a supermajority. 

Democrats’ goal in the election this year was to maintain that supermajority and to gain another in the Senate. With both supermajorities, they would have been able to override governor vetoes and could have made strides to change the state’s tax system. 

Democrats also failed to gain a supermajority in the Senate.

Senate District 5, located on the Western Slope, was one of the most closely watched and highly funded elections in the state as Democrats saw it as their most critical race for gaining a supermajority in the chamber. 

Republican Marc Catlin of Montrose defeated Democrat Cole Buerger of Glenwood Springs in the election with 52% of the vote, leaving Democrats one seat short of the two-thirds margin in the Senate. Like the past two years, they will have a 23-12 majority in the chamber. 

Vote counting was completed in two final House districts Thursday.

Republican Rebecca Keltie defeated Democratic Rep. Stephanie Vigil by only seven votes in House District 16, based in Colorado Springs. 

In House District 19, based on the Front Range, Republican Dan Woog of Frederick defeated Democrat Jillaire McMillan from Longmont by 123 votes.

There will be mandatory recounts in both races, which must be completed by Dec. 6.

If those results are finalized, Democrats will have a 43-22 majority in the chamber. For the past two years, the party breakdown has been 46-19.

Elliott Wenzler is the Western Slope politics reporter for the Craig Press and its sister publications in Glenwood Springs, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Craig, Summit County and Grand County. Reach her at ewenzler@swiftcom.com.