Colorado Primary Election 2022: Live blog, updates, results and more

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Tori Ganahl peeks around a door of the Wide Open Saloon in Sedalia to snap a photo with her phone just before her mother, Heidi Ganahl, walked into the room to celebrate winning the Colorado Republican Party’s primary election for governor, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

10:50 p.m.: That's it for us tonight. Not all of the votes are in, but all of the major races have been called. To recap:

We will continue updating this blog in the morning with new information as it comes in.


10:32 p.m.: The state Congressional races have been called. Here is a round-up of all the winners from CPR News interns, Max Lubbers and Will Cornelius.


10:15 p.m.: In Denver, the District 6 race for State Representative has yet to be called, with 51 percent of the votes in so far going to Katie March, and 49 percent going to Elisabeth Epps.


9:45 p.m.: Stina Sieg, CPR News reporter on the Western Slope, was at Lauren Boebert's election-night party at Warehouse 2565 in Grand Junction. Boebert was introduced as a "mom of four, a restaurant owner and a professional RINO hunter," to huge applause and screams from the crowd. She was referring to her opponent, Don Coram, who she accused of being a Republican in name only, or RINO. At her victory party, she joked that she didn't realize it would be such an early night, "and I hope this is a big, huge message to any RINOs who try this in the future: You can try to get Democrats to influence our election. It ain't gonna work!"


9:27 p.m.: CPR News visual editor Hart Van Denburg was on site at Heidi Ganahl's victory party at the Wide Open Saloon in Sedalia.


8:50 p.m.: Rep. Lauren Boebert released a statement on Twitter saying, "Hard-working Americans recognize now is not the time to go along to get along, it's time to stand up and fight for our American way of life."


8:45 p.m.: State Sen. Don Coram conceded to U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.


8:24 p.m.: Pam Anderson has won the Republican nomination for Colorado Secretary of State. She'll face Democrat Jena Griswold in November.


8:22 p.m.: In Colorado's 7th Congressional District, Erik Aadland has won the Republican nomination.


8:15 p.m.: Barbara Kirkmeyer has won the Republican primary in Colorado's 8th Congressional District.


8:05 p.m.: In Congressional District 4, Rep. Ken Buck has won in the Republican primary.


8 p.m.: Heidi Ganahl has won the Republican nomination for governor in Colorado's primary election. She will face Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in the fall.


7:51 p.m.: Preliminary results in the Republican primary for Colorado's Secretary of State show Pam Anderson, the former clerk in Jefferson County, is in the lead at 45.33 percent with Mike O'Donnell and Tina Peters trailing behind.

Heidi Ganahl is still in the lead for Republican candidate for Governor.

Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn has won the race for Colorado's 5th Congressional District.


7:45 p.m.: Rep. Diana DeGette has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 1st Congressional District.


7:39 p.m.: Rep. Lauren Boebert has won the Republican nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.

Joe O'Dea has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Colorado's primary election.


7:25 p.m.: Early results show Heidi Ganahl is leading in the Republican primary for Governor. She is up 55 percent. The winner will face Gov. Jared Polis.

Preliminary results show Joe O'Dea is ahead of Ron Hanks in the Republican primary for State Senator. The winner of this race will take on Sen. Michael Bennet in November.

Rep. Lauren Boebert is ahead in the Republican primary in the 3rd Congressional District over Don Coram.


7 p.m.: The polls are officially closed! CPR News won't call any races and will rely on the Associated Press to make calls. Check results here.


6:45 p.m.: Fifteen minutes before polls close and voters on the Western Slope tell CPR's Caitlyn Kim that they voted in the Republican primary because they don't like where the party is headed.

Charity Schiltz is an unaffiliated voter who lives in Montrose. She said she voted in the Republican primary because she feels like there is too much extremism in the party right now. Schiltz said she voted for Don Coram in the hopes of edging things back to center.

Cappi Castro said she felt similarly. She's an unaffiliated voter who lives in Ridgeway. Although she typically votes for Democrats, she said she returned the Republican ballot because she doesn't want Congresswoman Lauren Boebert or Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters in office.


6:30 p.m.: Thirty minutes before polls close and poll workers are still out monitoring the drop box near the clerk and recorder's office in Grand Junction.


6 p.m.: One hour before polls close and things appear relatively quiet in Douglas County.


5:37 p.m.: Several Republican voters in Colorado Springs told CPR reporter Tony Gorman that they voted in person because they were concerned about election security and wanted to be sure their vote counted.

"We hope that they do the right thing and that every vote is counted," said Jackie Bell.

Gloria Henderson said she's upset by the election results of 2020.

"Let's just hope my vote, your vote, everybody's vote counts and we don't stuff the ballot box with those that don't count," Henderson said.


4:50 p.m.: CPR News reporter Tony Gorman photographed an empty polling center tent at Centennial Hall in Colorado Springs.

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Tony Gorman/CPR News
A polling center at Centennial Hall in Colorado Springs. June 28, 2022

3:50 p.m.: The Arapahoe Clerk Tweeted at 3:45 p.m. that power had been restored to the area.


3:30 p.m.: According to an elections official in Arapahoe, some of Arapahoe's voting centers have lost power due to a rolling blackout in Centennial. Xcel Energy is currently working to repair the issue.


3:20 p.m.: CPR News reporter Matt Bloom has been talking to voters in Littleton. He spoke to Stella Garcia, 22, who used to be unaffiliated but registered as a Democrat this year because she's concerned about LGBTQ and women's rights being stripped away.

"Everyone I love in my life is a person of color or LGBTQ," she said. "I just want to protect the people I love and myself."

Bloom talked to Lori Levitt, 61, a longtime Republican voter who is supporting Pam Anderson for Secretary of State. Levitt believes Colorado's elections are "mostly secure, but it's almost too easy to vote." As she dropped her ballot in a ballot box, she said, "I didn't even have to show my ID today. Why is that OK?"

Another Republican Bloom spoke with was Bill Whitney, 65. Whitney feels like Colorado is losing the battle against fentanyl. He voted for Gov. candidate Greg Lopez because he thinks Lopez would crack down on dealers. "It's pretty scary," he said. "And it feels like aren't doing anything at all to curb it."

Unaffiliated voter Mark Reibus, 39, told Bloom that he's leaning towards Democratic candidates this year. He's worried that Republican candidates would cut public school funding and increase police funding. "I've got two kids about to be in school," he said. "And that's a problem."

— Sarah Bures


2:35 p.m.: Voters in Littleton told CPR News reporter Matt Bloom that they were concerned about inflation, election security, fetanyl and the recent Supreme Court decisions.

At the El Paso County Clerk's Office in Colorado Springs, Republican voters told CPR News reporter Tony Gorman that they were concerned with voter integrity. One voter told Gorman that God was driving her to vote.

— Stephanie Rivera


2 p.m.: Frank Martin is a registered Democrat in Glenwood Springs. He said Roe V. Wade, gun control, voting rights are the top issue for him this election.

He said he considered voting Republican to prevent Congresswoman Lauren Boebert from winning Congressional District 3. But he ultimately voted for Democrat Sol Sandoval because he felt she was the front runner out of the candidates.

— Caitlyn Kim


1:30 p.m.: Beth Trollinger is a registered Republican and took some time before work to vote at a center in Lakewood. She told CPR's Rachel Estabrook been an unaffiliated voter in the past and said she's concerned about climate change and the economy but primarily the division in the country. Because of that, she said she supports more moderate candidates.

"It seems almost like the fundamentalist party of the Republicans is behind the times," she said. "You can't turn the clock back now in this society."

Trollinger referred to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe V. Wade.

"There is going to be a lot of soul searching going on," she added. "It’s going to be very hard for women, and men… it’s a hard thing to turn back the clock and learn how to handle our sexuality a lot different."

Hali Marquez was motivated to vote because of the Court's ruling, too. She said she's also concerned about the future of same-sex marriage and access to contraception.

"I'm very worried about our future in this country right now," Marquez said. "I feel like everyone should vote no matter what political side you lean on."

She said she voted Democratically Tuesday and hopes for candidates who support the rights of immigrants and women.

On the other side of the political spectrum was Rebekah Geneva, who is registered Republican but called her views conservative. She said she voted in person due to concerns she has over election security.

“I did not even feel comfortable putting my vote in a dropbox, so I’m coming in person today," Geneva said.

Since the last election, she said some Republicans aren't conservative enough and prays that God intervenes.

"I don’t know if you want to call them RINO Republicans… I think there are some Republicans that are not being true to what they’re supposed to stand for and the party that they’re supposed to represent.”


12:25 p.m.: Rep. Lauren Boebert supporters were out in Grand Junction Tuesday morning, whooping every time a car honked in support. Steven Smith, one of the sign holders, told CPR News reporter Caitlyn Kim that inflation, immigration and gas prices were at the top of his mind.

— Stephanie Rivera


Good day! — It’s Primary Day in Colorado!

Once the polls open this morning, you’ll have until 7 p.m. tonight to get your ballot in.

If you still need to:

  • Drop off your ballot
  • Register to vote
  • You'd just like to vote in person

... then you can find your nearest drop boxes and vote center locations here.

You can find more information about voting, and about the candidates in the major races, in our voter guide.

The big races in this primary are the GOP contests for U.S. Senate and Governor. Each race has two candidates vying to take on the Democratic incumbent.

The Republican race for Secretary of State is also drawing a lot of attention because Tina Peters, a hero of the national election denial movement, is on the ballot.

And there are primaries in all but two of the state’s congressional districts as well.

CPR will be bringing you full coverage throughout the day from our reporters around the state and live results as soon as the polls close at 7 p.m. Stay turned with us! 

Megan Verlee