2026 Midterm Election: Aurora voters turn down tax hikes and back slate of Democrats

AURORA | Preliminary 2026 Midterm Election results reveal few surprises or upsets so far as Aurora’s heavily Democratic communities appeared to stay faithful to their state and local candidates.

Locally, preliminary vote counts show that all four Aurora ballot questions appear to be failing by solid margins. Three of the questions would have increased sales taxes to pay for city infrastructure, while the remaining question would have aligned city council elections with federal election timelines.

All the results are preliminary and local results are from Arapahoe, Douglas  and Adams counties so far.

In the 6th Congressional District race, incumbent Democrat Jason Crow is showing a commanding lead in all three counties.

On statewide questions, voters from the Aurora regions appear to be voting down most statewide ballot questions, with exceptions of propositions 87, which creates a graduated income tax in the state, NN, which redistributes TABOR refunds for spending on public education, 132, which increases the penalty for possession of fentanyl, and 133, which increases penalties for human trafficking of juveniles.

Statewide, preliminary results show 87 and NN with slight leads, and propositions linked to fentanyl punishment and juvenile trafficking were ahead.

As for statewide offices, voters in Arapahoe County are overwhelmingly choosing to return Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper for another six-year term, and put Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser in the state Capitol as governor.

2026 Statewide Offices

Likewise, preliminary results show strong local showings for Attorney General candidate Jena Griswold and state treasurer candidate Jeff Bridges. 

Early state results show much of the same.

Arapahoe County races are so far all going to incumbent Democrats, without exception. That’s the same case in Adams County, according to preliminary results.

Aurora-area state legislative races show Democrats and incumbents sweeping races. Sen. Tom Sullivan (D) in Senate District 27 and Sen. Iman Jodeh (D) in Senate District 29 are both winning reelection. Democratic incumbents Rep. Micheal Carter, House District 36, Rep. Chad Clifford, House District 37, Rep. Naquetta Ricks, House District 40, and Rep. Eliza Hamrick, House District 60 all fended off challengers to return to the statehouse.

In House Districts 41 and 42, Rep. Jamie Jackson and candidate Sarah Woodson, both Democrats, ran unopposed and won.

2026 Statewide Ballot Questions

2026 US House Rep 6th Congressional District

Congressional District 6

Crow faced challenges from four candidates, including Republican Jason Clark, Libertarian Patty McMahon, Meredith Ryan from the Unity Party and Samir Witta, an independent. As of the 9 p.m. count, Crow leads the race with 66% of the vote.

Crow, an Army veteran, has held the seat since 2018, when he beat current Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, who was the incumbent congressperson at the time. He serves on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. 

In an interview with the Sentinel, Crow thanked his supporters and promised to always fight for them. He said Congress needs to focus on reducing the cost of living and improving affordability, such as by addressing healthcare costs, as well as ending the war in Iran. 

“We have to make sure that we’re addressing the total economic crisis that most Americans are facing: unable to afford housing, basic groceries, the price of gas, the crushing cost of healthcare,” Crow said. 

Crow said rolling back Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act subsidies and ending tariffs are also top of list. He also championed Medicare for All as his preferred solution to what he called a broken healthcare system.

“That’s got to be one of our top priorities: to roll back those cuts and to provide some emergency aid to folks,” Crow said.

Crow is known to challenge the Trump administration, including pushing back on and trying to end the war in Iran and calling for more oversight of ICE detention facilities, including supporting state and local health officials who have been blocked from investigating a confirmed case of tuberculosis.

He previously worked on a committee to impeach Trump and said Crow still considers impeachment a tool, saying he hasn’t “hesitated to use when (he) thought it was the right approach.” Crow specifically called out Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who he said “has no business being at the top of the Pentagon.”

Crow’s platform includes working to improve affordability by lowering healthcare, housing and energy costs, reduce gun violence and pass gun safety laws, support Buckley Space Force Base and expand the Colorado aerospace industry.

A 2024 report card from GovTrack, an independent government tracking website, found Crow had the 15th most bipartisan bills of members of the House. Crow is also touted by the pro-democracy group Democracy Defenders Action for his anti-corruption efforts, including supporting a ban on Congressional stock trading and cosponsoring legislation to increase campaign finance transparency.

Clark, the Republican challenger, is a West Point graduate who grew up in Aurora and has been an entrepreneur, small business owner and an independent investment advisor. His campaign website highlights issues like improving affordability, attracting jobs to the state and reducing crime.

According to Colorado Public Radio, Clark’s investment license was revoked in 2023, leading him to sue the state over it in federal court, though the case was dismissed in 2024.

Additionally, a former classmate took a protection order out against Clark in 2022, saying he was sending threatening packages and letters to their home. The outcome is sealed, but the classmate won a $100,000 judgment against Clark in Hawaii in February 2026.

Clark told CPR he didn’t know about the protective order and denied making threats.

McMahon worked in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Denver field office for 35 years, where she served as the Outreach and Education Coordinator, which included work as a congressional liaison. She is a graduate of Metropolitan State University and has lived in the district for 26 years.

McMahon’s campaign website lists priorities like curbing the executive power of the president, opposing wars, improving fiscal oversight and making education more accessible.

Ryan, who moved to Colorado in 2013, has been a paraeducator at Aurora Public Schools and previously worked in social services, elder care and for community-based programs. Ryan’s platform includes support for Medicare for All, defunding ICE and promoting human rights and ethical government.

Ryan has pledged to reject funding from the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC), end weapons sales to Israel, defund ICE and ban Congressional stock trading.

Witta is an oncologist and the founder of Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center, as well as the nonprofits Anthiogen, which assists with covering cost of care for cancer patients, and Empower Her Color, which supports women of color with healthcare challenges. He also founded All the Children of Light, a nonprofit that provides aid to Syrian refugees.

Witta’s campaign website promotes his support for Congressional term-limits and a ban on stock trading for lawmakers, as well as increasing access to healthcare, lowering drug prices and capping rent and homeowners association fees.

The website also says Witta is running as an independent to avoid the influence of party leadership, special-interest groups, corporations and mega-donors.

Democrats keep control of Arapahoe County

For decades a Republican stronghold in Colorado, political tides have turned in Arapahoe County, where almost every elected political seat is held by a Democrat.

Republicans were hoping to turn the tide again, seeking to exploit voter unhappiness on a wide range of issues.

In District 2, Republican challenger Carl Schuldies ran against incumbent Democrat Jessica Campbell. In District 4, GOP challenger Sonda “Sunny” Banka ran against incumbent Leslie Summey.

Neither Republican appeared to pull off a victory as of early returns on Tuesday.

One area of contention focused on the county’s oil and gas regulations. Earlier this year during primary challenges commissioners Jessica Campbell and Leslie Summey touted the restrictions they helped put in place as some of the strongest in the state, but said the county is limited by state law.

“Unfortunately, we don’t make the decision as to whether or not companies can engage,” Summey said in June. “I’m looking at some things that would allow us to separate land and mineral rights, so that we can move some things differently.”

Southeast area oil and gas drilling sites have sparked pushback from numerous neighborhoods and communities in the region.

Campbell added that she is working at the state level to expand the ways counties can restrict oil and gas projects.

“We need to work with our legislators to give us broader decision making ability for cumulative impact and other discretion,” she said.

Both incumbents touted what they say is a county that is financially more stable than it was several years ago, in part because of a so-called de-Brucing measure from two years ago. Both incumbents touted the ways it has improved county services, such as by allowing the county to put $1 million into the Aid to Agencies program, which funds local nonprofits.

“Because we de-Bruced, we are not furloughing or laying off employees like everybody else has,” Campbell said in June. “It is not the end-all be-all, you are correct, but it has saved this county and allowed us to continue to provide services.”

Republicans Banka and Schuldies said they can point to problems with over-reaction by the commission and over-regulation, creating laws and encumbrances that don’t pay off in more affordable housing, living or generally safer communities.

Local State House and Senate districts all going to Democrats

Aurora-area state legislative races show Democrats and incumbents sweeping races. Sen. Tom Sullivan (D) in Senate District 27 and Sen. Iman Jodeh (D) in Senate District 29 are both winning reelection. Democratic incumbents Rep. Micheal Carter, House District 36, Rep. Chad Clifford, House District 37, Rep. Naquetta Ricks, House District 40, and Rep. Eliza Hamrick, House District 60 all fended off challengers to return to the statehouse.

In House Districts 41 and 42, Rep. Jamie Jackson and candidate Sarah Woodson, both Democrats, ran unopposed and won.

2026 State Legislature Races

State House District 36

In the election for Colorado House District 36, incumbent Democratic Rep. Michael Carter faced facing Republican Paul E. Nelson and Libertarian Andrew Gibson. 

Carter, who was elected to represent the district in 2024, is an attorney and Army veteran who previously served on the board for Aurora Public Schools. 

Carter, who is the apparent winner, said his priorities if returned to the House are increasing affordable housing, supporting workers’ rights and unions, protecting the environment and supporting public education. Carter was endorsed by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, Moms Demand Action, VoteVets, the Denver Pipefitters Union and more.

In the 2026 legislative session, Carter sponsored and passed bills to require licenses for substance abuse recovery facilities and expand parole options for juvenile offenders who completed rehabilitative programming. 

Senate District 27

Voters in state Senate District 27 have apparently reelected Democratic state Sen. Tom Sullivan over his two challengers — Republican Danielle Lammon and Libertarian Michele Poague.

Sullivan sought a second term as state senator, having also represented Colorado House District 37, which he was first elected to in 2018. Sullivan is known for advocating gun safety legislation, including helping to pass Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law, following the death of his son in the 2012 Aurora theater mass shooting.

An Air Force veteran and former U.S. Postal worker, Sullivan also advocates for public schools, affordable housing, workers’ rights, veterans, access to mental health care, reproductive freedom and lower cost of living.

In the 2026 legislative session, Sullivan sponsored and passed legislation to expand the Extreme Risk Protection Orders, ban 3D-printed guns and gun parts and strengthen the state’s worker compensation requirements. 

Lammon is a community leader, nonprofit founder, author and retired small-business owner. A Southeast Aurora resident, Lammon is the founder and CEO of the Aurora Fire Foundation, which supports first responders and public safety initiatives, and founder of the Buddy Publishing Foundation, which promotes literacy programs.

State House District 27

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Chad Clifford has apparently won over Republican Jill Thompson in the election for Colorado House District 37, which includes southern portions of Aurora and parts of Centennial.

Clifford was originally appointed through a vacancy committee to represent the district shortly before the 2024 legislative session and then was elected that year to a full term. 

Clifford is a Colorado Ranger and government operations lead for the American Red Cross. Before becoming a legislator, Clifford worked as a lobbyist and he has a background in emergency management. He is the founder of the Creating Leaders PAC, which supports Democratic candidates for office at all levels.

Clifford’s campaign priorities include increasing affordable housing, supporting public education, expanding healthcare and protecting reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. He is endorsed by One Colorado, the Sierra Club, the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Association of Realtors and more.

House District 40

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Naquetta Ricks has apparently won over Republican Clinton Porter in the election for Colorado House District 40, which includes the area around Cherry Creek Reservoir and parts of Aurora.

Ricks has lived in Colorado for 30 years and is a small business owner and founder of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado. Ricks, who is from Liberia, is the first African immigrant to serve in Colorado’s legislature. 

Ricks was first elected in 2020 and currently chairs the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Her platform priorities include expanding access to affordable housing, protecting tenants and strengthening workforce development. 

In the 2026 legislative session, Ricks sponsored and passed legislation to increase accessible housing units, establish a framework for online age-verification and improve access to information about regional and local transit options.

House District 61

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Eliza Hamrick faced off with Republican Scott Shamblin and Libertarian Kevin Gulbranson in the election for Colorado House District 61, which includes the area around the Aurora Reservoir.

Early returns showed Hamrick with a strong lead.

Hamrick, a retired high school teacher who worked for Cherry Creek School District for more than 30 years, was first elected to the seat in 2023. She currently serves on the House Education and Health and Human Services committees.

Hamrick’s campaign priorities include supporting public schools, promoting healthy and safe communities and improving affordability and advocating for small businesses. Her endorsements include Cobalt, which defends reproductive rights, the Colorado Education Association, Conservation Colorado and Moms Demand Action.

In the 2026 legislative session, Hamrick sponsored and passed legislation to require youth athletics coaches to receive education on mental health, increase the amount of off-campus college courses available to students and increasing funding for county child abuse prevention programs.

Shamblin is the executive director of Colorado Right to Life, a pro-life and anti-abortion lobbying group. 

Last year, after Colorado passed anti-discrimination protections for transgender residents, the Denver Post reported that Shamblin created a fake website that encouraged people to report violations of the law but did not have any connection to the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which investigates allegations of discrimination. Shamblin told the Post that the website was intended to satirize the law, though there were no indications on the website that it was fake. It was eventually taken down.

Senate District 29

In the election for state Senate District 29, incumbent Democratic state Sen. Iman Jodeh has apparently won over Republican challenger Robert McKenna.

Jodeh, an Aurora native, was first elected in 2020 to represent House District 41 and then was appointed to the state senate in 2025 to replace Sen. Janet Buckner, who resigned. She was the first Muslim to be elected to the state legislature. She is the vice chair of the Senate Health and Human Services committee.

Jodeh is the executive director of Meet the Middle East, a nonprofit organization aimed at building relationships between the U.S. and the Middle East through cultural events, consulting, classes and travel. She also co-founded the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council and works as a liaison for the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado.

Jodeh’s campaign priorities include increasing affordable housing, protecting renters’ rights and workers’ rights, advocating for resources for immigrants, supporting public schools and strengthening environmental protections.

McKenna previously ran and lost to Jodeh in the House District 41 race in 2024.

McKenna, who has lived in the district since 2017, works for Winn-Marion Barber, LLC, an oil and gas contractor in Centennial, and served in the Army and Army reserves. 

2026 Aurora Ballot Questions

Aurora ballot questions

All four city ballot measures were failing as of 9 p.m. Election Day. 

Measure 3A, 3B and 3C proposed a collective 0.325% sales tax increase to fund $264 million in transportation, public safety and city facility capital improvement projects. Had voters approved all three bonds questions, it would have amounted to three cents for every $10 purchase and would have been the city’s first sales tax increase since 1993.

One bond question asks for a 0.13% sales tax increase, or 1.3 cents on every $10, to fund $107.4 million in transportation projects, such as the construction of Gun Club Road and transportation improvements for the Aurora Reservoir. 

Another bond question proposes a 0.13% sales tax increase to fund nearly $105 million in facilities projects, like building a new library and recreation center in northeast Aurora and the renovation of the Aurora Center for Active Adults.

The third bond question asks for a 0.06% sales tax increase, or 0.6 cents per $10, for $52 million of public safety improvements, including upgrades to several fire stations, police facilities and the 911 call center, as well as building a new fire station.

The last local ballot measure would have moved city council elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.