2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado explained

Election Name:	2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado
Country:	Colorado
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado
Next Year:	2014
Seats For Election:	All 7 Colorado seats to the United States House of Representatives
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Last Election1:	4
Seats1:	4
Popular Vote1:	1,143,796
Percentage1:	46.68%
Swing1:	3.46%
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Last Election2:	3
Seats2:	3
Popular Vote2:	1,080,153
Percentage2:	44.08%
Swing2:	1.34%
Map Size:	280px

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's seven congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. Primary elections were held on June 26, 2012.^[1] ^[2]

Overview

Statewide

Party		Candidates	Votes		Seats
Party		Candidates		%		+/–	%
	Republican	7	1,143,796	46.68	4		57.14
	Democratic	6	1,080,153	44.08	3		42.95
	Libertarian	7	85,772	3.50	0		0.0
	Independent	3	77,885	3.18	0		0.0
	Green	3	33,526	1.37	0		0.0
	Constitution	3	29,356	1.20	0		0.0
Total		29	2,450,488	100.0	7		100.0

By district

Results of the 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado by district:

scope=col rowspan=3	District	scope=col colspan=2	Republican	scope=col colspan=2	Democratic	scope=col colspan=2	Libertarian	scope=col colspan=2	Others	scope=col colspan=2	Total	scope=col rowspan=3	Result
scope=col colspan=2 style="background:"	!	scope=col colspan=2 style="background:"	!	scope=col colspan=2 style="background:"	!	scope=col colspan=2	!	scope=col colspan=2
scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	%
	93,217	26.77%	237,579	68.23%	12,585	3.61%	4,829	1.39%	348,210	100.0%	Democratic hold
	162,639	38.58%	234,758	55.69%	13,770	3.27%	10,413	2.47%	421,580	100.0%	Democratic hold
	185,291	53.31%	142,920	41.12%	11,125	3.20%	8,212	2.36%	347,548	100.0%	Republican hold
	200,006	58.42%	125,800	36.75%	10,682	3.12%	5,848	1.71%	342,336	100.0%	Republican hold
	199,639	64.98%	0	0.00%	22,778	7.41%	31,496	10.25%	307,231	100.0%	Republican hold
	163,938	47.81%	156,937	45.77%	8,597	2.51%	13,442	3.92%	342,914	100.0%	Republican hold
	139,066	40.79%	182,460	53.51%	9,148	2.68%	10,296	3.02%	340,970	100.0%	Democratic hold
Total	1,143,796	46.68%	1,080,153	44.08%	85,772	3.50%	140,767	5.75%	2,450,488	100.0%

Redistricting

During the redistricting process, Republicans argued for minimal changes to the existing map while Democrats pushed for more competitive districts. After a committee of ten members of the Colorado General Assembly failed to draw a map, in November 2011 Judge Robert Hyatt ruled in favor of Democrats' proposals.^[3] In December 2011, the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed Hyatt's ruling.^[4]

District 1

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 1st congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 1
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 1
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Dianadegette.jpeg
Nominee1:	Diana DeGette
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	237,579
Percentage1:	68.2%
Nominee2:	Danny Stroud
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	93,217
Percentage2:	26.8%
Map Size:	230px
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Diana DeGette
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Diana DeGette
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

Colorado's 1st congressional district, which has been represented by Democrat Diana DeGette since 1997, was not significantly modified in redistricting and continues to be based in Denver. The new 1st district includes Ken Caryl and Cherry Hills Village.^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Diana DeGette, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Danny Stroud, Army Major

Eliminated in primary

Richard Murphy

Primary results

General election

Results

District 2

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 2nd congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 2
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 2
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Jared Polis Official 2012 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Jared Polis
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	234,758
Percentage1:	55.7%
Nominee2:	Kevin Lundberg
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	162,639
Percentage2:	38.6%
Map Size:	200px
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Jared Polis
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Jared Polis
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

In redistricting, Larimer County, home to Fort Collins, was added to Colorado's 2nd congressional district, which has been represented by Democrat Jared Polis since 2009 and is still based in Boulder.^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Jared Polis, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Kevin Lundberg, state senator^[6]

Eliminated in primary

Eric Weissmann, businessman

Primary results

General election

Results

District 3

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 3rd congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 3
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 3
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Scott Tipton, Official Portrait, 112th Congress (cropped).JPG
Nominee1:	Scott Tipton
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	185,291
Percentage1:	53.3%
Nominee2:	Sal Pace
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	142,920
Percentage2:	41.1%
Map Size:	280px
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Scott Tipton
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Scott Tipton
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

In redistricting, Colorado's 3rd congressional district, which stretches from Pueblo to Grand Junction, was made slightly more favorable to Democrats. Part of Eagle County was added to the district, while Las Animas County was removed from it.^[5]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Scott Tipton, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Democrat John Salazar, who represented the district from 2005 until 2011, said in December 2010 that he was considering seeking a rematch against Republican Scott Tipton, to whom he lost his seat in 2010. He commented "We're thinking that we might run again in two years, but who knows? I'm keeping all options open. We've been offered a possibility of serving at many other places, or there's a great possibility of going back to the ranch and raising cattle."^[7] In January 2011, Governor John Hickenlooper appointed Salazar to serve as Colorado Agriculture Commissioner.^[8]

On May 19, 2011, Democratic state representative Sal Pace said he was "likely to put a campaign together", having met with U.S. House minority whip Steny Hoyer.^[9] On May 31, Pace declared his intention to challenge Tipton.^[10] Hoyer also suggested the name of Perry Haney, a surgeon, as a potential candidate;^[9] however Haney later formed an exploratory committee to run in the 6th district but withdrew from the race in February 2012.

Candidates

Nominee

Sal Pace, state representative

Declined

Perry Haney, surgeon
John Salazar, former U.S. Representative

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Primary results

Tisha Casida, a businesswoman, ran as an independent candidate.^[11]

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Scott Tipton (R)	Sal Pace (D)	Others	Undecided
Grove Insight (D-DCCC)^[12]	September 25–27, 2012	400	± 4.9%	align=center	42%	39%	5%	13%
Public Policy Polling (D-House Majority PAC)^[13]	January 18–23, 2012	569	± 4.1%	align=center	46%	39%	—	15%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[14]		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg^[15]		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call^[16]		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[17]		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times^[18]		November 4, 2012
RCP^[19]		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill^[20]		November 4, 2012

Results

District 4

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 4th congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 4
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 4
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Cory Gardner, Official Portrait, 112th Congress (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Cory Gardner
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	200,006
Percentage1:	58.4%
Nominee2:	Brandon Shaffer
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	125,800
Percentage2:	36.8%
Map Size:	200px
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Cory Gardner
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Cory Gardner
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

After redistricting, Colorado's 4th congressional district continued to strongly favor Republicans. It lost Fort Collins to the 2nd District; as a result, the largest city in the district is now Greeley.^[3] Republican incumbent Cory Gardner, who was first elected to represent Colorado's 4th congressional district in 2010, raised over $300,000 in the first quarter of 2011.^[21]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Cory Gardner, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Brandon Shaffer, president of the Colorado Senate^[22]

Declined

Betsy Markey, assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. Representative^[23]

Primary results

Constitution primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 5

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 5th congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 5
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 5
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Doug Lamborn official portrait (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Doug Lamborn
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	199,639
Percentage1:	65.0%
Nominee2:	Dave Anderson
Party2:	Independent (United States)
Popular Vote2:	53,318
Percentage2:	17.3%
Image4:	File:3x4.svg
Nominee4:	Jim Pirtle
Party4:	Libertarian Party (United States)
Popular Vote4:	22,778
Percentage4:	7.4%
Image5:	File:3x4.svg
Nominee5:	Misha Luzov
Party5:	Green Party (United States)
Popular Vote5:	18,284
Percentage5:	6.0%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Doug Lamborn
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Doug Lamborn
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

Colorado's 5th congressional district, which has been represented by Republican Doug Lamborn since 2007, was not significantly modified in redistricting and is still centered in Colorado Springs. It is expected to continue to strongly favor Republicans.^[5]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Doug Lamborn, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

Robert Blaha, businessman^[25]
Doug Bergeron, Insurance Agent^[26]

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Withdrawn

Bob Evans

Constitution primary

Primary results

General election

The Republican candidate did not see a Democratic challenger, as Democratic candidate Bob Evans suspended his campaign.^[27]

However, Jim Pirtle (Libertarian), Kenneth R. Harvell (American Constitution), and Dave Anderson (No Party Affiliation) all challenged the Republican Party nominee.^[28] ^[29] ^[30]

Results

District 6

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 6th congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 6
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 6
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Mike Coffman, Official Portrait, 111th Congress (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Mike Coffman
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	163,938
Percentage1:	47.8%
Nominee2:	Joe Miklosi
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	156,937
Percentage2:	45.8%
Map Size:	200px
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Mike Coffman
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Mike Coffman
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

In redistricting, Colorado's 6th congressional district was made more favorable to Democrats. While the 6th has leaned Republican since its creation in 1983, the new 6th's population will be evenly split between Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.^[3] All of Aurora was added to the district.^[5] Republican Mike Coffman has represented the 6th district since 2009.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Mike Coffman, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Joe Miklosi, state representative^[31]

Withdrawn

Perry Haney, chiropractor^[32] ^[33]

Declined

Morgan Carroll, state senator^[5]
John Morse, majority leader of the state senate^[34]
Andrew Romanoff, former speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives^[35]
Brandon Shaffer, president of the Colorado Senate (running in the 4th district)^[22]

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times		November 4, 2012
RCP		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill		November 4, 2012

Results

District 7

Election Name:	2012 Colorado's 7th congressional district election
Country:	Colorado
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 7
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 7
Next Year:	2014
Image1:	File:Perlmutter 1 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Ed Perlmutter
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	182,460
Percentage1:	53.5%
Nominee2:	Joe Coors
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	139,066
Percentage2:	40.8%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Ed Perlmutter
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Ed Perlmutter
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

Colorado's 7th congressional district, which has been represented by Democrat Ed Perlmutter since 2007, was modified in redistricting to include the more populated suburbs of Adams County.^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Ed Perlmutter, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Joe Coors Jr, brother of 2004 U.S. Senate candidate Pete Coors^[37]

Primary results

Constitution primary

Primary results

General election

Debates

Complete video of debate, October 8, 2012

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times		November 4, 2012
RCP		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill		November 4, 2012

Results

External links

Elections & Voting from the Colorado Secretary of State
United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado, 2012 at Ballotpedia
Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets
Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Notes and References

Web site: 2012 Election Calendar. July 1, 2011. August 16, 2011. Secretary of State. https://web.archive.org/web/20111110041122/http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/docs/2012ElectionCalendar.pdf. November 10, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
Web site: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives . Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 2012 . 9 & 10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130509064435/https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2012election.pdf . May 9, 2013 . live.
Web site: Judge decides redistricting battle in favor of Democrats. https://web.archive.org/web/20191129205010/https://kdvr.com/news/politics/kdvr-judge-decides-redistricting-battle-in-favor-of-democrats-20111110,0,4498129.story. dead. November 29, 2019. November 10, 2011. November 14, 2011. Fox 31 Denver. Eli. Stokols.
Web site: Democrats win fight over Colorado Congressional boundaries. December 5, 2011. December 6, 2011. The Denver Post. Lynn. Bartels. https://web.archive.org/web/20111206230925/http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19473229. December 6, 2011. live.
News: Tim . Hoover . November 12, 2011 . New map may shake up Colorado congressional races . . November 14, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111114175859/http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_19320116 . November 14, 2011 . live.
Web site: Lundberg, Polis bout for 2nd District. January 10, 2012. January 10, 2012. The Coloradoan. Rebecca. Powell.
Web site: John Salazar, Scott Tipton rematch?. December 8, 2010. April 23, 2011. The Durango Herald. Tamar. Hallerman.
Web site: Hickenlooper picks ex-Rep. John Salazar to be ag commissioner. January 6, 2011. April 23, 2011. The Denver Post. Tim. Hoover.
Web site: Steny Hoyer: Sal Pace, Brandon Shaffer committed to congressional races in 2012 . May 19, 2011 . . Chuck . Plunkett . May 23, 2011.
Web site: Colorado Rep. Pace to challenge Tipton in 3rd District. May 31, 2011. June 1, 2011. The Aspen Times. Ivan. Moreno. https://web.archive.org/web/20120405055122/http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20110531/NEWS/110539976/1077. April 5, 2012. dead.
Web site: Pace running for 3rd Congressional District. June 1, 2011. The Pueblo Chieftain. Patrick. Malone.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140912142056/http://b.3cdn.net/dccc/76a055d3cc208f2c01_idm6bhgov.pdf Grove Insight (D-DCCC)
https://web.archive.org/web/20120128215916/http://www.thehousemajoritypac.com/press/2012/01/25/eight-gop-incuments-trouble/ Public Policy Polling (D-House Majority PAC)
Web site: The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races . Cookpolitical.com . November 5, 2012 . November 6, 2012.
Web site: House Ratings . Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com . November 2, 2012 . November 4, 2012.
http://www.rollcall.com/politics/race-ratings-chart-2012-house-elections.html
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2012-house/ Crystal Ball
http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/ratings/house House Race Ratings
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/house/2012_elections_house_map.html
Web site: House Ratings . The Hill . November 4, 2012. November 3, 2012 .
Web site: Frosh watch: Gardner rakes it in. April 12, 2011. April 23, 2011. Politico. Alexander. Burns.
Web site: Longmont's Brandon Shaffer says he'll stay in 4th District race. February 2, 2012. February 4, 2012. Longmont Times-Call. John. Fryar.
Web site: No Markey-Gardner rematch in 2012. February 26, 2011. April 23, 2011. Politico. Alex. Isenstadt.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190812025252/https://www.timescall.com/2012/08/08/shaffer-says-poll-shows-him-gaining-on-gardner-in-4th-cd-contest/ Lauer Johnson Research (D-Schaffer)
Web site: Colorado Springs U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn announces re-election bid. January 22, 2012. January 28, 2012. The Denver Post. Tom. Roeder.
Web site: In CD 5, a long-shot candidate hopes to defy incumbency and wealth of competitors. February 26, 2012. April 11, 2012. The Denver Post. Kurtis. Lee.
Web site: No Democrat running in 5th CD. https://archive.today/20120710200848/http://coloradopolitics.freedomblogging.com/2012/03/13/no-democrat-running-in-5th-cd/. dead. July 10, 2012. March 13, 2012. April 11, 2012. The Gazette. John. Schroyer.
Web site: Congressional District 5 candidate visits Salida. March 20, 2012. April 11, 2012. The Mountain Mail. Cailey. McDermott.
Web site: Unofficial Candidate List - 2012 Primary Election. April 6, 2012. April 12, 2012. Colorado Secretary of State. https://web.archive.org/web/20120524133533/http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Candidates/files/2012PrimaryCandidateList.pdf. May 24, 2012. dead.
Web site: Anderson runs for Congress. November 8, 2011. April 11, 2012. The Mountain Mail. Cailey. McDermott.
Web site: Not your average Joe launches congressional campaign. July 29, 2011. August 1, 2011. The Denver Post. Kurtis. Lee.
Web site: Chiropractor boning up to run in 6th District. December 9, 2011. December 13, 2011. The Colorado Statesman. Ernest. Luning. https://web.archive.org/web/20120108215104/http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/993190-chiropractor-boning-run-6th-district. January 8, 2012. dead.
Web site: Haney drops out after complaint. February 16, 2012. February 17, 2012. The Denver Post. Kurtis. Lee.
Web site: Sen. John Morse says he's no longer interested in taking on U.S. Rep. Coffman. January 19, 2012. January 20, 2012. The Denver Post. Lynn. Bartels.
Web site: Andrew Romanoff won't challenge Rep. Mike Coffman in newly competitive Colorado 6th Congressional District. December 6, 2011. December 13, 2011. The Denver Post. Kurtis. Lee.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140912115136/http://b.3cdn.net/dccc/fc3c2a8c774634d435_yum6ibtk2.pdf DCCC (D)
Web site: Coors launches less government, more god congressional campaign. January 31, 2012. February 1, 2012. The Colorado Independent. Scott. Kersgaard.
https://web.archive.org/web/20121005211238/http://joecoors.com/img/PollingMemo.pdf OnMessage (R-Coors)