Jared Polis wins reelection for second term as Colorado governor

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis won a second term Tuesday night, handedly defeating his Republican opponent Heidi Ganahl.

As of 8 p.m. on Election Night, Polis had about 61% of the vote and Ganahl had about 37% of the vote.

The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m.

“Tonight, we’ve proven once again what a special place Colorado is — a place where we truly value decency and hard work, where we fight for our freedoms and we strive to ensure that every single person has the opportunity to succeed and get ahead. Truly a Colorado for all, where there is room and a place for everybody to be themselves,” Polis told supporters Tuesday night at the Art Hotel in Denver.

He thanked both Ganahl and the American Constitution Party candidate Danielle Neuschwanger, who originally ran as a Republican but lost in the primary and then switched parties.

Throughout his campaign, Polis spoke about the commitments he followed through on from his 2018 campaign, including getting children in free full day kindergarten, reducing health care costs and championing policies to fight the climate crisis. He centered his campaign as a bid to continue working on that progress.

Polis ended up pouring about $12 million of his own fortune into his reelection campaign — a hefty amount but only about half of what he spent in 2018.

Dianne Primavera will continue to serve as lieutenant governor.

Ganahl, a University of Colorado regent and the only Republican elected to statewide office, ran her campaign as a self-described “mom on a mission” to solve various crises around the state stemming from poor educational achievement after the pandemic, rising crime rates and the soaring cost of living.

She conceded shortly after results were called.

“Governor Polis, I wish you well, and my prayers will be with you. This election is over, but our problems are not. Crime in Colorado is real. Record inflation is real. The state of our education system is real. Please do not ignore the cries of help from so many in our state. I implore you to be a governor for all Coloradans, and to seek consensus with those of us on the other side of the aisle, even when that may not be easy,” she said in a statement.