Colorado Presidential 2028 Election Turnout

Denver Metro Area Map courtesy of www.larryhotz.com

The 2028 presidential election will bring out Colorado’s largest number of voters. The following chart shows voter turnout among Colorado, regional and Denver voters in the 2016 and the more recent 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections. Denver’s most recent bond election had 192,000 votes (2025), an unusually high number of voters for an off-year/off-year event. The falloff of votes in 2024 from 2020 reflects Colorado’s population slowdown and a presidential candidate less attractive for Democratic voters.

Colorado’s 2026 mid-term election for U.S. senator, governor, statewide constitutional offices can expect about 2.5 million voters.

The next presidential election will likely be very competitive within party primaries and between the parties in the general election. Highly polarized voters, especially on cultural issues, can be expected. The Denver region should see more than 1.7 million votes, the turnout in 2024.

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Colorado Democratic Party Nominations Tend to Go to Money and Establishment

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, left, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, both candidates for governor, participate in a forum hosted by Colorado Young Democrats on Jan. 10, 2026. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)

In the Colorado Democratic Party’s two-phase nominating system, activists often dominate its old-time caucus system but don’t win the nomination in the later voter primary. Governor Jared Polis and Senator John Hickenlooper both lost their party convention/caucus endorsements in their first elections but went on to win primaries and then general elections. That history bodes well for Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper winning their nominations and general elections in spite of party challenges.

Hickenlooper has left-wing challengers who may excite some grassroots progressive support (Julie Gonzales and Karen Breslin) but their campaigns so far have attracted little attention and less money. History suggests the Democratic party’s progressive wing can’t beat the party’s establishment candidate. Hickenlooper, as a former mayor, governor and now senator is the well funded, old guard incumbent.

Bennet vs Attorney General Phil Weiser race doesn’t have a clear moderate vs. progressive atmosphere although Weiser is the candidate closer to home. Senators are frequently burdened by the distance and poor image of Washington DC. But as winning the caucus vote shows, party activists’ support doesn’t make up for money and endorsements in the primary, Bennet advantage. Whichever one wins will likely win the general election.

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Eisenhower in Davos

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground at Laguna Playhouse

Just saw the one man play “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” at the Laguna Playhouse. If President Eisenhower had been in Davos last week, he would have praised NATO’s incredible perseverance and the peace in Europe it has secured. He would have pledged U.S. strength unambiguously to it and to the sovereignty of Ukraine.

His biggest political fight was with the isolationist wing in the Republican Party and among the U.S. electorate. He won and supported a world of alliances, institutions and rules that benefited the American people and its economy. He aided democratic allies and spread the country’s ideals. Eisenhower helped launch and lead a golden era in American politics.

SCFD Has Grown and Changed

In 2028, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) will be up for voter reapproval. It has been a huge success in funding cultural organizations and is praised and envied as a national model. There has, of course, been substantial growth in the seven county Denver metro area in both population and the number of cultural organizations serving the population since the SCFD voter approval in 1988. The amount distributed has also increased due to the growth in the revenue from sales tax. It produced $14 million 1989 and $85 last year.

The distribution formula of the SCFD has been adjusted at each of its three reauthorization elections (1994, 2004, 2016). The 1987 statute, approved by 75 percent of regional voters in 1988, allocated 65% of the funds to Tier I, 25% to Tier II, and 10% to Tier III. Today, after repeated adjustments, the formula is 59%, 24%, and 17% respectively (SCFD Annual Report 2024). Tier I began with four large regional organizations and after the 2004 legislative changes, now has five. Denver Center of Performing Arts, the largest organization in Tier II, was removed and placed in Tier I, providing more funding to share among Tier II mid-sized organizations. Tier III, smaller county level organizations, have had the most substantial increase from 10% to 17%, a seventy percent increase.

The table compares the percentages and total distribution (millions) of each SCFD Tier in 1989 and 2024.

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Trump Starts New Year in Trouble

Trump at World Economic Forum in Davos Photo via BBC.com

President Donald Trump celebrates the first anniversary of his January 20 inauguration deep in negative approval territory. Trump appears to ignore it, but it has the attention of Republicans facing a very difficult mid-term election.

Trump approval downturn, begun in November, was reflected in the November 4 Republican election wipeout. The public’s souring mood has continued in spite of Trump’s best efforts on economic action, public relations, and distracting foreign adventures.

His 13 percent negative approval is from the Republican-leaning Real Clear Politics. A different respected aggregator, Fifty Plus One, has him 16 points down, 40% approval to 56% disapproval.

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SCFD Approaching 40th Anniversary

Led by Six Executive Directors

The Scientific and Cultural District (SCFD) is a respected and envied national model for regional cultural funding. The District’s primary task is to distribute money collected from the one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax to the cultural organizations and the counties in the district in a precise formula detailed by the SCFD statute (today about $85 million annually). The District has held three successful renewal elections and will have another in 2028.

The District has had six executive directors since its inception in 1989. All have been selected and governed by a board with representatives from the six – now – seven, counties in the Denver region and several additional appointments by the governor.

Executive directors’ terms have generally been 8 or 9 years. As the first director and person who helped draft the statute, I organized the first year’s distribution of approximately $14 million and helped hire the next executive director, Jane Hansberry. Directors have all had backgrounds in nonprofit or public policy management and have been mindful of the restrictions and purpose of the statute and its basic principles. The core of those are being frugal and careful stewards of taxpayer money and avoiding partisan and political activities.

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No Restraint on Trump Entering 2026

US President Donald Trump, alongside Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3.Jim WATSON / AFP—Getty Images

In spite of a record low job approval, President Trump continues controversial daily foreign and domestic actions with little effective restraint from Congress, courts and widespread public opposition. Five guardrails were identified early in Trump’s term and he has crashed or scraped some but has done much better than expected on others.

Approval: His approval crossed into negative territory on the lunar eclipse, March 14, and it has grown more negative. It’s now at 43% in RCP and 40% in FPO, two well known aggregators. Although he’s playing defense on the economy, his weakest issue, Trump is still operating with his usual insouciance.

Inflation: Most economists predicted an uptick in inflation due to tariffs; it hasn’t happened.

Unemployment: Unemployment has started to increase. Trump believes the One Big Beautiful Bill tax cuts and lower interest rates will solve any unemployment problem.

DOW: The DOW’s 13% rise, the third double digit increase in three years, has pleased the investment class. He considers it his most important approval index.

House: Speaker Mike Johnson is in about the same terrible shape today he was at the start of his speakership. And, early predictions are he will lose the House, if closely, in 2026.

Trump begins 2026 in a weakened position but with no apparent restraints. Expect another wild year.

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