Just 63 days separate you and the end to all the horrible political advertisements that are about to take over your televisions, mailboxes and social media accounts.

But during these two months of uninterrupted noise, Colorado voters will make decisions that are sure to shape Colorado — and the nation — for years to come.

Will Colorado elect its first Republican governor in 12 years by choosing Walker Stapleton, or will the state take a step closer to becoming a Democratic stronghold by selecting Jared Polis? Is this the year a Democrat knocks off U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman? Or are Coffman’s retail politics — a campaign style of selling oneself and one’s policies by talking to as many voters as possible — strong enough to rebuff the so-called “blue wave” that Jason Crow hopes will help him secure a seat in Congress?

These are a few of the questions The Denver Post is asking this election season — questions only you can answer by voting.

Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer and the kickoff to election season, is now in the rearview mirror. To help you begin thinking less about your tan and more about your ballot, here are seven storylines to watch during the midterm elections.

The governor’s race

State Treasurer Stapleton hopes he can break the Republicans’ losing streak in the governor’s race. But political observers from both parties suggest the odds favor U.S. Rep. Polis, the Democratic candidate.

Since 2006, Colorado has been trending to the left. Hillary Clinton won the state by about 5 percentage points in the 2016 election. And there’s little evidence President Donald Trump, whom Stapleton ultimately embraced during the primary, has grown in popularity since his loss here.

While Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot this year and there’s no U.S. Senate race in Colorado, there’s no doubt the national climate will have an effect on statewide races. On the other side, Polis’ challenge is to show that, contrary to Republicans’ claims, the wealthy businessman isn’t too liberal — particularly for unaffiliated voters.

Among the issues likely to define the race are education — especially teacher pay — health care access and affordability, and the cost of living.

Control of the state Senate

Democrats hold a sizable lead in the Colorado House, and this election isn’t expected to change that.

It’s a different story in the state Senate. The GOP currently holds a tenuous one-seat majority — and significant resources will be spent by both parties as Democrats try to flip the upper chamber.

Depending on whom you ask, there are four or five races that will attract the most attention. Some of the hottest races will take place in the Denver suburbs, where two Republicans are defending their seats.

In Senate District 24 — which includes parts of Westminster, Thornton and Northglenn — Sen. Beth Martinez Humenik is defending her seat against Democratic state Rep. Faith Winter. Watch for both women’s roles in the #MeToo movement to be part of the race.

In Senate District 16, Sen. Tim Neville hopes to hold off Democratic challenger Tammy Story. The Senate district includes portions of Littleton, Golden and Evergreen. This race is a rematch of sorts: Story helped lead the successful 2015 Jefferson County school board recall that swept Neville’s sister-in-law, Julie Williams, out of office.

Expect to hear the GOP and outside groups argue that voters should elect Republicans to the upper chamber as a check on a possible Polis administration.

The 6th Congressional District

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman has swatted back Democratic challengers in the 6th Congressional District for nearly a decade, despite the district becoming more Democratic. The secret to his success, observers say, has been his cultivation of deeper ties with Aurora’s minority communities. The district also includes Brighton and Littleton.

This year, Democrats hope that Jason Crow, an attorney and combat veteran, can ride a national blue wave seeking to provide a check on Trump and unseat Coffman once and for all.

Big money from outside Colorado is expected to flood the district, given that political insiders predict this contest will be a bellwether for control of Congress.

Drilling ban and property value questions

By the end of the election, you’re never going to want to hear the word “setbacks” again. That’s because the most controversial ballot initiative this year asks voters to forbid oil and gas drilling within 2,500 feet of homes and schools.

The new proposed setback would all but ban drilling, which would cripple one of the state’s largest economic drivers, a state report suggests. Both gubernatorial candidates have come out against the initiative, saying that it goes too far.

Denver Post Voter Guide

Read all of The Denver Post’s election coverage — including stories, endorsements and candidate Q&As — in our 2018 Voter Guide.



The oil and gas lobby is expected to spend millions to defeat the measure, which is championed by environmentalists who argue drilling any closer to neighborhoods is too dangerous.

Meanwhile, a second and lesser-known ballot question, backed by the Colorado Farm Bureau and the oil and gas industry, has the state’s municipalities terrified. Seen by some as a retaliatory measure to the setback question, this initiative, if passed by voters, would allow businesses and property owners to sue local governments if they believe their property has been devalued due to actions taken by elected officials.

Dueling transportation questions

Colorado voters will have to decide how the state should update its infrastructure — an issue that has vexed lawmakers during recent legislative sessions.

Voters will be asked to approve a 0.62 percentage-point sales tax that would raise a projected $20 billion over two decades, to be split among state highways, local projects and transit initiatives.

Another option would mandate that the state borrow $3.5 billion to upgrade the state’s neediest roads and highways. Lawmakers, who would be required to figure out how to repay the resulting debt from the $29 billion annual state budget, already have passed a conditional repeal of $1.5 billion in other state transportation borrowing, just in case.

It’s possible — if unlikely — that voters might approve both ballot questions.

School funding

Colorado’s education community hopes a renewed focus on school funding — especially teacher pay — will provide enough grist to help them pass a statewide tax increase for schools.

The $1.6 billion raised would go to local districts to be spent in a variety of areas, including assisting students with special needs.

It will be an uphill battle, for sure: Colorado voters soundly rejected the last statewide tax increase for schools, Amendment 66. However, this year’s measure would increase taxes only for individuals making more than $150,000 a year.

Political boundaries

They’re among the least sexy questions for normal (read: not totally consumed by politics) Coloradans, but Amendments Y and Z could shift the political landscapes in Colorado and even Washington for decades to come.

The companion measures ask voters for permission to change the way the state’s political boundaries for both the statehouse and Congress are drawn. Currently, the political party in control at the General Assembly holds much of the power when it comes to drawing the districts. If Y and Z pass, those duties would go to an independent commission.

Colorado isn’t the only state grappling with this issue. Several other states have similar questions on their ballots this fall.

Proponents for fairer elections — including leaders in both parties here in Colorado — believe such commissions are the only way to end gerrymandering after the U.S. Supreme Court failed to issue a definitive ruling earlier this year.

Updated at 2:52 p.m.. Because of an error by a reporter, the spelling of the a state Senate candidate name was originally misreported. It is Faith Winter.