Since the June 2022 Primary Election, Colorado’s Political Observers have been wondering how much of an impact Unaffiliated Voters had in determining the winners for the Republican nominations.
Unaffiliated Voters were credited for the victories of more “moderate” Republican candidates who significantly beat their “extreme” (i.e. more conservative) opponents.
Now that the the final results have been released by the Secretary of State, we can measure their impact.
The final data confirms that Unaffiliated Voters made a historic impact on the Republican ballot.
So, how big was this impact on the June Primary?
Let’s Look at the Data
1,217,496 ballots were cast by all voters.
Of these:
668,983 ballots were returned for Republicans.
548,486 ballots were returned for Democrats.
With more choices on the GOP ballot, it’s not surprising that more Unaffiliated Voters turned in Republican ballots.
418,824 of all ballots were returned by Unaffiliated Voters, making up 34% of the total vote.
Unaffiliated Voters returned 170,631 ballots for Democrats, and 248,192 for Republicans.
Nearly 60% of Unaffiliated Voters cast their ballot for Republican candidates.
31% of the Democrat ballots were returned by Unaffiliated Voters.
37% of Republican ballots were returned by Unaffiliated Voters.
The 248,192 Unaffiliated Votes in the GOP Primary had a decisive outcome.
The margin of victory for the Statewide Republican candidates were as follows:
- 48,961 votes in the Governor’s Race
- 88,578 votes in the Secretary of State Race
- 56,560 votes in the US Senate Race
Consider that Registered Republican Voters were probably leaning more for the conservative candidates, and Unaffiliated Voters were leaning more towards the moderate choices.
With millions of dollars spent to influence Unaffiliated Voters in support of the moderate candidates, it was a decisive victory.
The consequence of Open Primaries is that unless Party Members are unified behind one candidate, Unaffiliated Voters have big enough sway to determine the winners.
It is extremely disheartening for grassroots candidates who won their local caucus, their county assembly and the State Assembly, but lost to candidates who bought their way on the ballot and bought their victory.
The reality now is that as long as a candidate has enough money behind them, they can petition on the ballot, and advertise their way to the General Election.
The voices of faithful Registered Republicans and Democrats have been muted.
What Does This Mean for November?
Now that moderate GOP candidates are on the November ballot, will they be more likely to win the general?
Since Colorado’s Democrats seem to be further Left than ever, Colorado’s moderate Republicans will be able to present a choice for many independent-minded voeters.
Will the moderate Republican candidates beat the extreme Democratic candidates?
After all, Unaffiliated Voters are the largest voting bloc in the State, and many of them just chose their preferred candidates for November.
Many conservative Republicans may be turned off by the moderate candidates, and instead decide to either skip voting for some candidates or choose a third party option.
Colorado’s Libertarian Party just may see a big year.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see what impact the primary has on the November election.
DC Democrats Spent Big
As previously noted, Democratic Colorado spent over $4 million to influence the US Senate Primary race.
It has been revealed that Democratic Colorado was entirely funded by Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC.
It’s claimed that this spending was to help the more conservative candidate win, so they would be an easier target for the November election.
However, it does seem that this spending only ensures that Colorado voters will have double the amount of Authoritarian choices on the November ballot.
What do you think?
Please leave a comment below!
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