President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump emerged as the victors in Colorado’s presidential primaries, solidifying their positions as the respective nominees for their parties in the upcoming November election.
The Associated Press swiftly declared the results for both candidates shortly after polls closed, with Trump leading the Republican primary with 63% of the votes, while Biden secured a commanding lead in the Democratic primary with nearly 84% of the votes.
Despite Trump’s clear dominance in the Republican contest, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley managed to hold a lead in seven counties, all of which leaned politically left, including Pitkin, Boulder, Denver, and San Miguel.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump (Credits: Denver7)
Colorado’s primary contests took place amidst an unusually quiet campaign season in the state, marked by a singular visit from Haley in late February, which was the only major candidate appearance of the year.
The Republican primary occurred just a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Colorado court’s ruling that deemed Trump ineligible to run for president due to his actions surrounding the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
The Democratic primary saw Biden’s strong performance, although a notable percentage of voters opted for the “noncommitted delegate” option, with some driven by opposition to American support for Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
This protest-vote campaign mirrored a similar movement in Michigan, where more than 13% of primary voters chose the “uncommitted” option.
Colorado’s primaries also featured lingering support for candidates who had dropped out earlier in the campaign, such as Marianne Williamson and Ron DeSantis, who garnered votes in the low single digits.
The primaries allocated 37 delegates to the Republican National Convention and 72 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Unaffiliated voters in Colorado had the opportunity to participate in the major-party primaries, reflecting the state’s commitment to inclusive electoral processes.
As the election cycle progresses, all eyes are on the eventual faceoff between Biden and Trump in the November election, which is poised to shape the future trajectory of the nation.
