Voters swept reform-minded school board candidates into all open seats in closely watched Front Range races in Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties and Thompson Valley schools.

But they rejected conservative and Tea Party backed candidates in Mesa County on the Western Slope.

All the Front Range candidates backed by big-money donors, including some high profile out-of-staters like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, claimed school board seats in Denver and Douglas County school districts.

In the Thompson Valley school district, voters elected all four conservative candidates and in Jefferson County voters elected three conservatives.

Colorado businessmen Edward McVaney and Ralph Nagel donated to more than 18 school board candidates across the state with their candidates having mixed results. McVaney and Nagel, in particular, backed pro-voucher, anti-union candidates.

In Greeley-Evans school district one candidate backed by McVaney and Nagel won, while three others lost.

Denver’s successful reform candidates Barbara O’Brien, Landri Taylor, Mike Johnson and Rosemary Rodriguez were not calling for the kind of radical reforms instituted in Douglas County.