And although the GOP could conceivably still win by means of Colorado, they would probably need to go through the so-called “blue wall,” probably though Pennsylvania, Iowa, or New Hampshire. If a presidential election is coming down to Pennsylvania, Democrats should feel very good. Iowa and New Hampshire have voted more Democratic than the country in most recent elections—including about 2 points left of center in 2012. Colorado, in contrast, was closer and has a relatively recent history of tilting toward Republican presidential candidates.If Democrats could persuade a few more Republican counties to get on board, the remaining "blue" Colorado could get even bluer. That said, they want to make sure that Northern Colorado only receives 3 elecoral votes--as you'll see in a moment.

Republican Colorado’s new electoral votes wouldn’t be enough to undo the advantages of a more Democratic, rump Colorado, either. The 10 Republican counties are basically empty, with the exception of exurban Weld County, home to the thriving town and likely capital of Greeley. Combined, the ten counties only cast 154,045 votes—even less than, you guessed it, the undeserving state of Wyoming. So Republican Colorado will get three electoral votes and Democratic Colorado will lose one, turning the current 272-266 Democratic advantage in the Electoral College (defined by the states where President Obama did better than the national popular vote) into a 271-269 advantage. So a more Democratic Colorado would actually solidify the Democratic advantage in the Electoral College, even though a Republican Colorado would automatically give the GOP three new electoral votes—either way, Democrats have a one state edge.

Of course, Republican Colorado would be bad for Democrats in the Senate. Of course, there’s an argument that the presidency matters more than the Senate, but Democrats already have a slight structural advantage in the Electoral College, while they’re at a distinct structural disadvantage in the Senate. Realistically, Democrats can’t trade two Senate seats for solidifying their Electoral College advantage.

Even then, there’s still cause for Democrats to entertain Coloradoan secession. Maybe they could get Wyoming to annex northern Colorado, preventing the GOP from picking up new Senators? That would be a great deal for Democrats. More realistically, Democrats could offer a new state in northern Colorado in exchange for D.C. statehood. Two new senators and a voting representative for D.C. would completely cancel out the GOP’s gains in the Senate. So then why would the GOP do it? Well it still looks like a pretty good deal: They’d still get the three new electoral votes from the new state, while Democrats wouldn’t get any new electoral votes, since D.C. already has three electoral votes. Yet Democrats might take eight bluer electoral votes in exchange for three new Republican electoral votes.