Baisley concedes to Sen. Hickenlooper; Evans seeks recount

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(The Center Square) – Colorado made sweeping blue waves in Tuesday’s congressional races, and this time around, most contests were not close. But one of the losers, U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Lupton, wants a recount despite being 14% behind the winner.

The state’s most contentious races – districts 1, 4 and 8 – were all won by Democrats. U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, won by a 25-percentage point margin against his Republican challenger. 

Hickenlooper won with 1,310,937 votes – a total of 60%, compared to Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, who received 773,936 votes or of 36%. Baisley, who represents Douglas County, spoke to Denver7 at the Republican Party’s election-night gathering and said he called Hickenlooper to concede.

Colorado’s 8th Congressional District – one that was decided by less than 1% in 2024 – was won by Democratic candidate Manny Rutinel, who currently represents the 32nd District in Colorado’s House of Representatives. Rutinel's district consists of Adams County, including Commerce City and Westminster.

He won against Evans, who received 41% of the ballot or 91,712 votes. That's compared to Runtinel’s 124,631 votes – a total of 55%. 

Despite being behind by 14%, Evans, who was seeking a second term, refused to concede the race at an election night party with supporters in Brighton, Colo. 

Evans told Colorado Public Radio that he wanted a recount.

In Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, Democratic candidate Melat Kiros beat her Republican challenger, Christy Peterson, by winning 78% of the vote. Kiros received 169,159 votes compared to Peterson’s 30,046 votes – a total of 14%. 

Kiros will be one of 10 self-identified Democratic socialists in Congress, joining members such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats.

The 4th Congressional District race, meanwhile, was neck to neck, with Democratic candidate Eileen Laubacher in the lead as of noon Mountain time on Wednesday. She faced U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Windsor, who has served Colorado at the nation’s capital since 2021, when she initially represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District before districts were redrawn. 

Laubacher received 168,729 votes compared to Boebert’s 163,835 votes. Laubacher was ahead by just 1% as of Wednesday.

Laubacher is a 32-year retired Navy veteran and admiral who has criticized the Democratic Party in some regards. She was at one point a registered Republican before switching to being an independent, then becoming a Democrat in 2025. 

All Colorado counties are in the process of post-election reporting.