Democrats Win Colorado Legislative Supermajorities
Democrats gained supermajorities in both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly, while Phil Weiser won the governor's race.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Democrats captured supermajorities in both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly during Tuesday's election. Democrat Phil Weiser also won the popular vote for governor, defeating Republican nominee Victor Marx.
Why it matters
The supermajorities give Democrats the numbers needed to override gubernatorial vetoes, shaping the state's legislative agenda. Labor-backed lawmakers are likely to try again to repeal or revise the Labor Peace Act.
As of Wednesday morning, Democrats held at least 24 Senate seats and 44 House seats, while Republican incumbent Sen. John Carson trailed Democratic challenger Kevin Leung by nearly 5 percentage points in Senate District 30. Several close House races remained unresolved as ballots were still being tallied.
The players
Phil Weiser
Phil Weiser is a Democrat who won the popular vote for governor of Colorado in this election.
Victor Marx
Victor Marx is the Republican nominee for Colorado governor who trailed Weiser by at least 35 percentage points as of Wednesday morning.
John Carson
John Carson is the Republican incumbent state senator for Senate District 30 in Colorado, who trailed his Democratic challenger in the count.
The details
Republican-aligned independent expenditure committees outspent Democratic counterparts by millions to defend 12 GOP-held seats, but Democrats still gained ground across the state. Turnout in El Paso County was under 48% as of Wednesday morning, compared with a statewide average of around 55%. House District 15 had never elected a Democrat since redistricting in 1992, but Democrat Jeff Livingston led by 1,090 votes there as of Wednesday morning.
Timeline
Tuesday: Colorado voters elected Democrats to supermajorities in the General Assembly.
June: Progressive candidates defeated moderate candidates in the primary.
Thursday: The Senate will choose a new Majority Leader.
Friday: The House caucus will choose a new Speaker.
Jan. 11, 2027: The 2027 legislative session opens.
Political Context
Labor-backed lawmakers are likely to try again to repeal or revise the Labor Peace Act now that Democrats hold supermajorities. The renewed push follows the Democratic gains, which give the party the votes needed to override gubernatorial vetoes on such measures.
With Democrats holding supermajorities, they can override gubernatorial vetoes without Republican votes, which changes how state laws are enacted in Colorado. Residents should expect the 2027 legislative session to move on policies Democrats previously could not pass alone.
The takeaway
Supermajorities can reshape policy quickly, so the coming leadership votes in both chambers will signal how aggressively Democrats plan to use their new power in Colorado.
What happens next
The Senate will choose a new Majority Leader on Thursday, and the House caucus will choose a new Speaker on Friday. The 2027 legislative session opens Jan. 11, 2027.
Further reading
For more on how these results were tallied, see Elections coverage across Colorado.
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