Primary 2014: the Aftermath

This is the first primary in a while where I wasn't emotionally invested in a number of races... just a few.  That was very weird for me.  Most of the races turned out exactly how I expected (even if it isn't what I wanted).

Below are the results (and a little commentary), with italicized names ones I recommended as part of the 'Right' Republicans Initiative for the 2014 Primary-- and (NR) denotes "No Recommendation" from me.  Primaries are notoriously difficult to predict because it is all about turnout.  Look for more 'Right' Republicans running in November coming soon, as well as election predictions based on hard numbers like I did in 2012 coming in September.

Governor: Bob Beauprez
I don't know if I'm surprised or not by this.  I almost expected it... even though it was probably the worst possible result for Republican chances in November.

Congressional District 1: Martin Walsh (NR)
No surprise here--the write-in candidate didn't even make a dent.

Congressional District 3: Scott Tipton
Again, no real surprise.  No Cantor-Brat upsets in Colorado this time.

State Board of Education, Congressional District 3: Marcia Neal
This was an odd race that I really had no expectations in, so that the incumbent won isn't too shocking.

Congressional District 4: Ken Buck
The only thing truly surprising here to me was the margin of victory... and that Laffey got 4th!  Still disappointing that Ken won... I was hoping Scott would pull it off.

Congressional District 5: Doug Lamborn
This was a lot closer than I expected.  A lot.

Senate District 19: Laura Woods
I was really worried about this one, and am glad that Laura pulled it off.  Hopefully three-time loser Lang Sias will not take a fourth whack at the losing apple in the future.

Senate District 22: Tony Sanchez
With the dynamics in this race, I am not surprised Tony won (although I still contend Mario would have been a superior general election candidate).  The margin on this one was crazy to me... 2-1?  Never would have expected that.

House District 15: Gordon Klingenschmitt (NR)
From what I've been hearing in the district, this isn't a surprise at all.

House District 20: Terri Carver (NR)
I knew too little about this race to have an inkling of how it'd go down, so it'd be hard for any outcome to surprise me here.

House District 22: Justin Everett
No surprise, and I'm glad to see the slap down was even bigger than in 2012.

House District 26: Chuck McConnell
I hope that, unlike 2012, the Party helps out in this race because it is a moveable seat--especially with a good candidate like Chuck.

House District 37: Jack Tate (NR)
Surprised by the margin, but not the outcome.

House District 46: Brian Mater
81.47%?  Nice job, Brian!  With this win, HD46 just might be in play this year.  We'll see what September says.

House District 55: Dan Thurlow
Another Liberty win--seems infectious in legislative races this year!

House District 63: Lori Saine
Once again, Lori handily dispatches her challenger.  Maybe after two losses, they'll take a hint?

Adams County Sheriff: Mike McIntosh
Surprised but glad to see this one turn out the way it did!

Jefferson County Sheriff: Jeff Shrader
I hate to admit it... I'm not terribly surprised, although I was hopeful Jim could pull this one off.  It certainly wasn't for lack of trying or campaigning.  Jim worked his tail off for this, and I don't know what else he could have done differently to be honest.  It's very hard to beat that kind of machine.  JeffCo county office politics is about as incestuous as they get.

Mesa County Sheriff: Steve King
I expect that Steve will be forced to resign as a candidate and be replaced by a vacancy committee after being fired by the Sheriff's office during his campaign.  I'm going to mark this one up as TBD before I pass any judgments on it.


As always, don't forget to join in the conversation and comment on the post--were you surprised by any of the outcomes?  Sharing is also appreciated.