2018 Colorado gubernatorial election


The 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Colorado. Incumbent Democratic governor John Hickenlooper was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. The primary election was held on June 26.
The major party nominees were Democratic U.S. Representative Jared Polis and Republican State Treasurer Walker Stapleton. The general election took place on November 6, 2018, with Polis winning by 268,000 votes. This was the first Colorado gubernatorial election in which both major party candidates received over one million votes.
Polis's victory marked the fourth straight election in which Colorado elected a Democratic governor and the first time in American electoral history that an openly gay politician was elected governor of a state.

Democratic primary

With Hickenlooper ineligible to run for a third term in office, multiple Democratic politicians vied for the party's nomination for governor. Prior to his resignation in 2015, former lieutenant governor Joseph Garcia was seen as a probable candidate for governor in 2018.

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in the primary

Eliminated at the convention

Withdrawn

  • Noel Ginsburg, businessman
  • Ed Perlmutter, U.S. Representative ''''

Declined

Caucus results

On March 6, 2018, Democrats of precincts across Colorado met and voted how many delegates each candidate who was caucusing on the ballot would get. As of March 11, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., 96.83% of precincts had reported and added up to the below results.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in the primary

Eliminated at the convention

Withdrawn

Declined

Caucus results

Based on information shared by some key counties, as well as a recent survey, the following are believed to be results of the Republican Caucus from key counties.
Pueblo County
Douglas County

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		George
Brauchler		Cynthia
Coffman		Victor
Mitchell		Doug
Robinson		Walker
Stapleton		Tom
Tancredo		Undecided
University of Colorado BoulderNovember 9–15, 2017250± 3.5%4%6%1%1%8%25%54%
Braynard Group September 26–28, 2017400± 3.2%7%6%1%0.3%8.5%22%54%

Third party and independent candidates

Candidates

Declared

General election

Polling

with Cary Kennedy

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Cary
Kennedy 		Walker
Stapleton 		OtherUndecided
Strategies 360May 23 – June 6, 2018500± 4.4%43%38%4%15%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Generic
Democrat		Generic
Republican		Undecided
Clarity Campaign Labs May 8–10, 2018883± 3.3%52%37%11%

with Tom Tancredo

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Jared
Polis 		Tom
Tancredo 		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling ]December 4–5, 2017770± 3.5%46%38%–16%
Braynard Group September 26–28, 20171,000± 3.2%25%25%3%47%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Cary
Kennedy 		Tom
Tancredo 		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling December 4–5, 2017770± 3.5%45%38%–17%
Keating Research November 9–13, 2017500± 4.4%50%34%3%13%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Mike
Johnston 		Tom
Tancredo 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling December 4–5, 2017770± 3.5%43%39%18%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Donna
Lynne 		Tom
Tancredo 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling December 4–5, 2017770± 3.5%43%38%19%

Results

By county

Despite losing the state, Stapleton won 38 of 64 counties.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Polis won four of seven congressional districts.
DistrictStapletonPolisRepresentative
24%73%Diana DeGette
34%62%Joe Neguse
50%46%Scott Tipton
58%38%Ken Buck
57%39%Doug Lamborn
42%54%Jason Crow
38%57%Ed Perlmutter