# 2006 Colorado gubernatorial election

Elections in Colorado :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential caucuses and primaries
Democratic
2000
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1876
1879
1883 sp
1885
1889
1891
1895
1897
1901
1903
1907
1909
1913
1913 sp
1914
1918
1920
1924
1924 sp
1926
1930
1932
1932 sp
1936
1938
1942
1942 sp
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1927
1st sp
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
3rd sp
1941
4th sp
1942
1944
1st sp
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1983
6th sp
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
4th sp :
State government
General elections
2010
2014
2018
2020
2022
Gubernatorial elections
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Secretary of State elections
2022
2026
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022
2026
Treasurer elections
2022
Colorado State Board of Regent elections
2016
Senate elections
2013 (recall)
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
List of Colorado ballot measures
1893
2
1972
8
1974
1
1982
1
1992
2
2000
20
2004
36
2006
38
41
42
43
44
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
2008
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
54
58
59
L
2010
62
2012
64
2018
A
2020
B
C
EE
113
114
2022
125
126
FF
2023
HH
II
2024
79
80
I
J
127
128
129
131 :
Colorado Springs
Local elections
2019
Mayoral elections
1995
1997 sp
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
Denver
Mayoral elections
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
El Paso County
Local elections
2018 :
Pueblo
Mayoral elections
2023–24 :
vte :
The 2006 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Owens was unable to run due to term limits, and the election was won by Democratic nominee Bill Ritter.
With his win, Democrats obtained a trifecta in the state for the first time since 1963. As of 2025, this is the last time the Governor's office in Colorado changed partisan control.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Bill Ritter, former District Attorney of Denver

### Campaign

In the leadup to the Democratic primary, Bill Ritter, the former District Attorney of Denver, emerged as the leading Democratic candidate. Though several other prominent state Democrats, including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, considered running for Governor, both ultimately declined to do so. State Representative Gary Lindstrom, the only other candidate besides Ritter in the race, ended his campaign on February 28, 2006. Ritter's personal opposition to abortion motivated pro-choice leaders in the state party to seek alternatives to him, but none ultimately materialized, and opposition to Ritter softened with his pledge to not alter the state's liberal abortion laws.

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bill Ritter | 142,586 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 142,586 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Bob Beauprez, U.S. Congressman from Colorado's 7th congressional district

### Campaign

With popular two-term Governor Bill Owens barred from seeking re-election, an open race developed for the Republican nomination to succeed him. The race looked like it would be between Congressman Bob Beauprez, who represented the swingy Denver suburbs in Congress, and former University of Denver President Marc Holtzman. The race between Beauprez and Holtzman was contentious. Beauprez accused Holtzman of ethics violations, including making false allegations that the campaign's email list was stolen, providing falsified poll results to the Denver Post, and using a separate state campaign committee as a "shadow gubernatorial campaign." Holtzman, meanwhile, accused Beauprez of being part of the "politics of power" that he argued had taken the party away from its conservative values, pointing to Beauprez's support of Referendum C in 2005, which allowed the state to hold onto excess tax revenues rather than refund surpluses.
In the end, the campaign between the two frontrunners fizzled. Beauprez won a landslide victory at the state Republican convention, denying Holtzman a spot on the ballot. Holtzman's efforts to collect signatures to win a spot on the ballot were ultimately in vain, with the Colorado Supreme Court ruling in June that he had failed to submit enough signatures. In response, Holtzman suspended his campaign and endorsed Beauprez, who won the Republican primary unopposed.

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bob Beauprez | 193,804 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 193,804 | 100.00 |

## Campaign
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Likely D (flip) | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics | Likely D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Bill Ritter (D) | Bob Beauprez (R) |
| Survey USA | November 2, 2006 | 57% | 35% |
| Zogby/WSJ | October 31, 2006 | 46.4% | 46.6% |
| Rasmussen | October 29, 2006 | 51% | 39% |
| Survey USA | October 23, 2006 | 56% | 38% |
| Zogby/WSJ | October 19, 2006 | 46.7% | 44.7% |
| Mason Dixon | October 7, 2006 | 50% | 35% |
| Survey USA | September 28, 2006 | 55% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | September 26, 2006 | 50% | 34% |
| Rocky Mountain News | September 18, 2006 | 50% | 33% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 47.5% | 38.9% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 46.0% | 38.7% |
| Survey USA | August 17, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | August 11, 2006 | 48% | 39% |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 42.8% | 40.9% |
| Mason Dixon | July 17, 2006 | 42% | 35% |
| Rasmussen | July 10, 2006** | 42% | 37% |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 44.2% | 36.1% |
| Rasmussen | June 8, 2006 | 43% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | May 5, 2006 | 37% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | April 5, 2006 | 41% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | February 25, 2006 | 40% | 33% |
| Rasmussen | January 26, 2006 | 38% | 39% |

### Results

2006 Colorado gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Bill Ritter | 887,986 | 56.99% | +23.33% |
| | Republican | Bob Beauprez | 625,886 | 40.17% | −22.46% |
| | Libertarian | Dawn Winkler-Kinateder | 23,323 | 1.50% | +0.04% |
| | Independent | Paul Noel Fiorino | 10,996 | 0.71% | — |
| | Constitution | Clyde J. Harkins | 9,716 | 0.62% | +0.62% |
| | Write-ins | | 370 | 0.02% | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 262,100 | 16.82% | −12.15% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,558,277 | | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Weld (largest city: Greeley)
* Sedgwick (Largest city: Julesburg)
* Larimer (largest city: Fort Collins)
* Grand (Largest city: Granby)
* Routt (Largest city: Steamboat Springs)
* Garfield (largest municipality: Glenwood Springs)
* Eagle (largest municipality: Edwards)
* Summit (largest municipality: Breckenridge)
* Jefferson (largest city: Lakewood)
* Clear Creek (largest city: Idaho Springs)
* Gilpin (largest city: Central City)
* Adams (largest city: Thornton)
* Arapahoe (largest city: Aurora)
* Chaffee (largest city: Salida)
* Gunnison (Largest city: Gunnison)
* Lake (Largest city: Leadville)
* Pitkin (Largest city: Aspen)
* Dolores (largest city: Dove Creek)
* Ouray (largest city: Ouray)
* La Plata (largest municipality: Durango)
* San Juan (largest municipality: Silverton)
* Hinsdale (Largest city: Lake City)
* Rio Grande (Largest city: Monte Vista)
* Archuleta (Largest city: Pagosa Springs)
* Mineral (Largest city: Creede)
* Conejos (largest municipality: Manassa)
* Huerfano (largest city: Walsenburg)
* Alamosa (largest municipality: Alamosa)
* Costilla (largest municipality: San Luis)
* Las Animas (largest city: Trinidad)
* Saguache (largest city: Center)
* Bent (Largest city: Las Animas)
* Otero (Largest city: La Junta)
* Broomfield