The Colorado State Capitol in DenverLike all U.S. states, Colorado's constitution provides for three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The governor heads the state's executive branch. The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the state. The state legislative body is the Colorado General Assembly, which is made up of two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House has 65 members and the Senate has 35. Currently, Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly. The 2005 Colorado General Assembly was the first to be controlled by the Democrats in forty years. The incumbent governor is Democrat August William "Bill" Ritter, Jr..
Most Coloradans are originally native to other states (nearly 60% according to the 2000 census[48]), and this is illustrated by the fact that the state did not have a native-born governor from 1975 (when John David Vanderhoof left office) until 2007, when Bill Ritter took office; his election the previous year marked the first electoral victory for a native-born Coloradan in a gubernatorial race since 1958 (Vanderhoof had ascended from the Lieutenant Governorship when John Arthur Love was given a position in Richard Nixon's administration in 1973).
Federal politics
Colorado is considered a swing state in both state and federal elections. Coloradans have elected 17 Democrats and 12 Republicans to the governorship in the last 100 years. In presidential politics, Colorado supported Democrats Bill Clinton in 1992 and Barack Obama in 2008, and supported Republicans Robert J. Dole in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. The presidential outcome in 2008 was the second closest to the national popular vote, after Virginia.
Colorado politics has the contrast of conservative cities such as Colorado Springs and liberal cities such as Boulder. Democrats are strongest in metropolitan Denver, the college towns of Fort Collins and Boulder, southern Colorado (including Pueblo), and a few western ski resort counties. The Republicans are strongest in the Eastern Plains, Colorado Springs, Greeley, some Denver suburbs, and the western half of the state (including Grand Junction). The fastest growing parts of the state particularly Douglas, Elbert, and Weld Counties, in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area, are somewhat Republican-leaning.
Colorado is represented by two United States Senators:
• United States Senate Class 2 - Mark Emery Udall (Democratic) 2009-
• United States Senate Class 3 - Michael Farrand Bennet (Democratic) 2009
The State of Colorado is represented by seven Representatives to the United States House of Representatives:
• Colorado's 1st congressional district - Diana DeGette (Democratic) 1997-
• Colorado's 2nd congressional district - Jared Polis (Democratic) 2009-
• Colorado's 3rd congressional district - John Salazar (Democratic) 2005-
• Colorado's 4th congressional district - Betsy Markey (Democratic) 2009-
• Colorado's 5th congressional district - Doug Lamborn (Republican) 2007-
• Colorado's 6th congressional district - Mike Coffman (Republican) 2009-
• Colorado's 7th congressional district - Ed Perlmutter (Democratic) 2007-
See also: United States presidential election, 2004, in Colorado, Colorado's congressional elections, 2006, Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006, and Political party strength in Colorado
Most Coloradans are originally native to other states (nearly 60% according to the 2000 census[48]), and this is illustrated by the fact that the state did not have a native-born governor from 1975 (when John David Vanderhoof left office) until 2007, when Bill Ritter took office; his election the previous year marked the first electoral victory for a native-born Coloradan in a gubernatorial race since 1958 (Vanderhoof had ascended from the Lieutenant Governorship when John Arthur Love was given a position in Richard Nixon's administration in 1973).
Federal politics
Colorado is considered a swing state in both state and federal elections. Coloradans have elected 17 Democrats and 12 Republicans to the governorship in the last 100 years. In presidential politics, Colorado supported Democrats Bill Clinton in 1992 and Barack Obama in 2008, and supported Republicans Robert J. Dole in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. The presidential outcome in 2008 was the second closest to the national popular vote, after Virginia.
Colorado politics has the contrast of conservative cities such as Colorado Springs and liberal cities such as Boulder. Democrats are strongest in metropolitan Denver, the college towns of Fort Collins and Boulder, southern Colorado (including Pueblo), and a few western ski resort counties. The Republicans are strongest in the Eastern Plains, Colorado Springs, Greeley, some Denver suburbs, and the western half of the state (including Grand Junction). The fastest growing parts of the state particularly Douglas, Elbert, and Weld Counties, in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area, are somewhat Republican-leaning.
Colorado is represented by two United States Senators:
• United States Senate Class 2 - Mark Emery Udall (Democratic) 2009-
• United States Senate Class 3 - Michael Farrand Bennet (Democratic) 2009
The State of Colorado is represented by seven Representatives to the United States House of Representatives:
• Colorado's 1st congressional district - Diana DeGette (Democratic) 1997-
• Colorado's 2nd congressional district - Jared Polis (Democratic) 2009-
• Colorado's 3rd congressional district - John Salazar (Democratic) 2005-
• Colorado's 4th congressional district - Betsy Markey (Democratic) 2009-
• Colorado's 5th congressional district - Doug Lamborn (Republican) 2007-
• Colorado's 6th congressional district - Mike Coffman (Republican) 2009-
• Colorado's 7th congressional district - Ed Perlmutter (Democratic) 2007-
See also: United States presidential election, 2004, in Colorado, Colorado's congressional elections, 2006, Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006, and Political party strength in Colorado
