Colorado: A state that’s flanked by Rocky mountains and flaunts Blue

Historians say Colarao —named after famed Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado— was first inhabited around 13,000 BC by the Big Game hunters. Archaeological evidence shows that people were living in the area by 9200 BC, making Colorado one of the oldest habitations in the United States.

Flanked by the Rocky mountains, Colorado is in the western region of the US. It gained statehood in 1876. The state has a reputation of giving long backing to a party in US elections.  

Colorado is also unique for its rise in the number of electors due to its expanding population over the past few decades. It had six electoral votes in the 1968 US election, which gradually went up to nine in 2020 and to 10 in the 2024 US presidential election.

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Colorado was one of the American states to disqualify Republican nominee Donald Trump from contesting in the state over his role in the January 6 Capitol riots in 2020 during the transition of power post election. The federal Supreme Court later ruled in Trump’s favour.

Who are the voters?

The population composition of Colorado has been changing. In the 2020 census, White population was recorded at 86 per cent including those of Hispanic origin, Black made up almost five per cent, Asian over four per cent and American Indian natives less than two per cent. However, a Pew Research estimate shows that the White alone make up 75 per cent of all eligible voters — a six percentage point drop from 2000. Hispanic voters make up 16 per cent, the Black voters three per cent and Asian two per cent.

How it has voted in the past 

For most elections between 1920 and 2004, Colorado voted for the Republicans — all but five. One notable exception was the 1964 election when it voted for Lyndon Johnson, who secured a 23 per cent lead over Republican Barry Goldwar. The other significant exception year was 1992, when Colorado voted for Bill Clinton.

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However, from the 2008 US presidential election —when it voted for Barack Obama— Colorado voted for the Democratic nominees through 2020. In fact, Jobe Biden recorded a margin of 13.5 per cent — the first double-digit lead over a Republican rival since 1964.

Is it a swing state?

Generally, Colorado votes for a party for a longer duration. It voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election. But it can swing as was seen in five elections between its long Republican phase between 1920 and 2004.

Has Colorado given the US a president?

No American president has come from Colorado. But some politicians with Colorado connections have tried their luck. For example, Former Governor John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet (both now US Senators) ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2020 election. Hickenlooper ended his campaign in 2019, while Bennet stayed in the race till March 2020.