Political analysts recap 2026 midterm election results in Colorado, across US — Election Extra

[0:07] Welcome into your local election headquarters after a historic midterm election here in Colorado [0:12] and all across the country. I'm Matt Morrow. Joining me today, political analysts who have [0:17] not had a lot of sleep, but have a lot to say, a lot of reflection going on after the last week, [0:21] Democratic strategist and senior presidential and gubernatorial advisor Andy Boyan and Republican [0:25] strategist and the president of Advanced Colorado, Michael Fields. Guys, thanks so much for being [0:29] here. I know it's been a very busy week for you, for us, for people all across the country. [0:33] Has what happened with the historic gains that Democrats made here in Colorado and all across [0:39] the country really sunk in for the party just yet, Andy? Not just yet. I mean, we're still counting [0:44] votes and not everything's been called, but it was a sweeping victory for us and a lot of hard work [0:49] went into it. I mean, we worked very hard to get to this point and I think there's a lot to be said [0:53] for the quality of candidates we had and obviously the timing of things, how things turned out in [1:00] terms of numbers of voters that have come out and different parts of the country that really [1:04] surprised us. I mean, Mississippi, Kansas, those areas particularly were just remarkably surprising [1:10] to us. And Michael, on the other side, has the overwhelming rebuke by voters of the Trump [1:14] administration and Republicans and some of their policies sunk in just yet? I think it is sinking [1:20] in. You have people that are resigning and making different decisions about their future based on what [1:25] happened. I think you have to balance really understanding why voters voted against you as Republicans [1:30] in this midterm. Also knowing that it is cyclical, that there are, you know, many midterm elections [1:35] where you see huge margins. I, you know, think back to 2008, 2010, where you saw swings both ways, [1:41] you know, huge swings. But this is much bigger than people anticipated. The polling didn't show quite this [1:48] amount of, you know, the Senate's going 55 votes or 80 seat majority in the House. That is huge. And I think it had [1:54] a lot to do with cost of living, obviously the Iran war. If you look at the polling and see what really, [1:58] you know, made people upset and motivated, enthusiastic to go turn out and vote and vote [2:04] Democratic, I think Republicans have to look at this, reassess and get ready for the next election. [2:09] And it seems that this is the way politics goes. I remember being here two years ago after the [2:13] presidential election. It was the exact opposite with both of you wondering how Democrats lost and [2:18] lost to big margins. Voters swayed far to the right. Then now it's the exact opposite. Let's start [2:24] here in Colorado. What surprised you the most or what was the most significant moment of the election [2:30] here, whether it be the governor's race, not that Phil Weiser won, but by how much he won 27 points. I think [2:36] that's the fifth biggest win in history or the state's congressional delegation. The way it looks right now [2:41] as we sit here and record on Thursday, that's going to move seven to one for Democrats. Michael, start with you. Yeah, the [2:46] congressional races were the biggest surprise. I don't think anybody was, you know, confused on if Phil Weiser was [2:51] going to win or not. I think the shift that we saw, you know, $55 million was spent in CD8 and it was a [2:57] 15 point margin that moved 15 points. You have Jeff Crank losing in a very Republican district, never [3:04] gone Democratic before. That was an 18 point swing. And then Lauren Boebert, the 13 point swing in the [3:11] most Republican district in the state. And so I think that was the biggest surprise. Knew those margins would [3:15] be closer, that those races would be closer, polling was coming out, money was being spent. But I think this [3:20] shift in two years, that is 15, 18 points. I mean, that is a huge amount, even in Colorado, which was [3:26] already leaning left to start with. And so a 4-4 map now became a 7-1 map. Andy, what surprises you [3:31] most or what, what did you not see coming the most out of the Democrats wins here in the state? Well, for [3:37] sure, the margins were the most significant to us. I mean, we, when we looked at numbers, you know, [3:41] we thought Boebert might be vulnerable, but not like this. I mean, it was, it was pretty interesting [3:45] that, that she's, that she's going to lose. But what was, what was reality was, you know, [3:49] the, the $55 million spent in CD8 and we won early in the night, it was called early and it was a [3:55] surprise to us that it was a call that early and by that big a margin. But I think the other sort of [4:00] takeaways in this is the quality of candidates that we had, which we talked about before, the [4:04] quality of candidates that Democrats had this cycle, I think was something that kept Republicans [4:08] at home. I don't think it was just a, a win for Democrats. I think it was a loss for Republicans. [4:12] I think Republicans got confused and depressed about why they were there and why they, what they [4:17] put out. And I think there was a lot of, of, uh, turnout noise about that, that Republicans kind of [4:22] sat at home and decided not to, not to vote. So, uh, advantage Democrats. And I think it's, uh, we'll [4:27] see how it, how it goes, but we're excited to get going. I mean, you talked about the eighth [4:31] congressional district, Manny Roots now unseating the incumbent Congressman Gabe Evans. You go back, [4:36] you know, four years and two years ago and look at that district, it was 0.7, 0.8% was the vote [4:41] difference right there. I mean, we talked about this as one of the most, uh, competitive and [4:46] one of the closest house races in the country. It did not turn out to be that. I mean, that [4:50] was shocking on election night to see Manny Roots now winning by 15 points. I mean, we thought [4:55] he would have to win, you know, Adams County by, you know, what, so 14 and he won by well [5:01] over 20 right there. What kind of inroads and what does that say about the voters in [5:05] that district about their rebuke of Evans and what they have to say about Manny? Well, I think [5:09] it's, it's interesting because, you know, Gabe Evans was, as we've talked about this on [5:13] the show before, I've said this before, he's, he basically the mouthpiece of Trump. So [5:16] whatever Trump wanted, he voted 100% of the time with Trump. So I think that the, the whole [5:20] district was tired of it. I think the whole state was tired of it. I think the country's [5:23] tired of it. And, uh, but, but in CD8 particularly, it was interesting because Manny Roots spent a [5:27] lot of time in Adams County, um, and, and won that decisively, uh, and, and lost in Weld County, [5:32] but still, uh, kept up pretty, pretty, pretty well with Gabe Evans. What's the interesting [5:36] thing about, about eight was that I never saw a pickup of an Evans, uh, machine or a message [5:42] that was consistent, um, all the time. It was an attack on Rootanelle on a regular ongoing basis, [5:46] but it was never about what I'm going to do if you give me two more years. And I think voters [5:49] really wanted to see independently of Trump, what he was going to do and how he's going to perform. [5:53] And he, he was a puppet the first two years. He was a pretty much a worthless congressman for two [5:57] years. So at this point, they think that Manny Rootanelle is going to make that change. And I think [6:00] it's significant. Now the hard work begins for him, Michael. He's got to represent this district, [6:04] a very diverse district right there in Congress. You're going to have some progressives in Congress [6:08] for the Democrats. You're going to have some who are more moderate. What's he got to do to [6:12] represent everyone in that district and their interests, including the ones who did not vote [6:16] for him? Yeah, I think it's difficult because it is truly a swing district. It just swung very much [6:20] towards Democrats. And you saw it really, it was young people that shifted across the country and it [6:25] was Hispanic voters. And obviously there's a large Hispanic population in that CD8 district, [6:30] but 94% of counties in the country moved blue. Like this was, everybody was moving that way. [6:35] And I think early in the night when you saw some of the results coming in from Florida and other [6:39] places, you just knew that that swing was going to be big. We just didn't think it would be that [6:43] big in CD8 and nobody else did too, because money was being spent there. There was polling that, [6:47] you know, internal polling that was coming out within a couple of points. And I think all, [6:51] almost all unaffiliated voters, you know, really shifted heavily towards Democrats. So I think one is [6:56] that you can't overestimate that and say, Hey, this means I have a mandate. I can do whatever I want. [7:00] I can have, you know, DSA policies or whatever. I think the smartest thing for me to do is to say, [7:05] look, I need to represent this district. That is really a swing district and could be again, [7:08] because we are seeing wild swings from election to election. You know, 2024, Republicans were on top [7:13] of the world head, you know, the house, the Senate presidency, Supreme court, all the different [7:17] things. That's obviously shifted a lot. It could shift back because young voters and Hispanic voters [7:21] are the key demographic that are moving, you know, that, that much right now. I see the difference [7:26] though in the next two years is Trump is still remains in office. And so, you know, [7:29] he's, he's threatening the veto and he's saying that, you know, he's going to, he's going to look [7:33] at policies and try to work with some Democrats, but veto others. I think what's interesting about [7:37] the next two years is that there still is Donald Trump in the white house and there still is that [7:40] policy. There still are people that are marching to his orders, uh, in the executive branch for the [7:45] next two years with a super majority in Congress. I think it's going to be interesting to see how [7:49] that reflects, uh, in 28, because I think if Manny Moutinho plays to the center and he, [7:53] and he represents the entire district, I think he wins reelection easily in 28, uh, because there's, [7:59] there's a continued rebuke of Trump. I mean, Trump's not going to change. There's not, [8:02] there's not going to be a dramatic change in his administration, nor in his governing. And so [8:06] I think we're going to see a lot of that, uh, further rebuke in 28 as well. All right, [8:10] now to another shocking result from here in Colorado. It is not final just yet. I want to emphasize [8:15] that as we record this on Thursday, but it looks like Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert will [8:19] probably not be going back to the U.S. House, uh, rear Admiral retired Eileen Laubacher ahead by a [8:25] couple of points. Eileen Laubacher looks like she's winning Douglas County by 20,000 votes, [8:31] turning that blue. I mean, that right there is downright shocking. And the fact that Lauren [8:34] Boebert is probably on the cusp of losing this race, Andy. Yeah, I mean, it's, it's a, [8:38] it's a fascinating one to watch because while it's so close, it's not called two days after the [8:42] election, it's pretty clear that Lauren Boebert, uh, is going to lose. Um, and, and the, the thing [8:47] about Eileen Laubacher that is so compelling again, is that her resume is so impressive as a member of [8:52] Congress. I mean, she is a decorated, uh, service member. And I think it's, what, what's fascinating [8:56] about this is Lauren Boebert really doesn't have anything to stand on against that and, and has really [9:00] sort of been, uh, the MAGA supporter. And as, as she quoted herself on election night, the MAGA [9:05] superstar party party girl. So, um, I think it's, I think it's a really different change for that [9:09] district and being the reddest district in Colorado as well. It really shows a compelling [9:13] swift, uh, change from what was going to be a conservative and a thoughtful conservative [9:18] district into, uh, a mix, uh, obviously of purple and a bit of blue. I mean, this was a district that [9:24] four years ago, then Congressman Ken Buck won by 30 points, 40 points. I mean, he easily won these [9:31] races when he was there, Republicans before him as well. I know the district changed a little bit [9:34] after the, uh, redistricting in 2020, but Lauren Boebert won this by 12, two years ago. Donald [9:40] Trump won this by 18 and now it's swinging again. You talk about how voters changed. Michael swinging [9:46] to the Democrats right here. How much do you think the unhappiness in the, I guess the agriculture [9:51] community when you talk about the cost of diesel, the cost of fertilizer, the tariffs and how they're [9:57] affecting farmers and ranchers played into this as well as, as I just mentioned, Douglas County [10:01] going blue. We haven't seen that. I don't know ever. Yeah, I do think it has an impact. Obviously, [10:06] diesel prices are very high. Uh, again, unaffiliated voters make up the majority of [10:10] all these districts in Colorado. And so you have to be able to at least hold your own with them. If [10:15] you have that, uh, you know, kind of breakdown in the district. And, you know, uh, this is a district [10:19] that, uh, you know, when, when Ken Buck resigned, uh, Greg Lopez took over for a little bit, I think [10:24] law backers going to have it a little longer, but not that much longer than he did. Um, it's a district [10:29] that is, you know, definitely going to go back red in, in two years. Um, but I think part of it was [10:34] that Lauren Boebert didn't raise a lot of money, that she had a lot of people that either didn't [10:39] vote for, you know, undervoted or, or didn't vote for her, um, because of kind of being a polarizing [10:44] figure. Um, and so while this shift happened everywhere, the shift definitely happened in, [10:48] in that district, that was one that Republicans should have held onto and will get back in two years. [10:53] You talk about the money game right there. Eileen Laubacher outraised the Congresswoman [10:56] 11 times. It was somewhat like $14 million to just one and a quarter million dollars. [11:02] Do you think that money and the ads that Laubacher was able to put on TV ultimately made the difference [11:06] in this race, Andy? I think a big part to play in it. Yeah. I mean, it had a big part to play. I [11:10] don't, I don't think it ended up making the, the, the most significant difference. I think what it was, [11:13] was, I mean, the fact that Laubacher was out there with a message, not only on TV, but out there [11:17] in the district with, with a message that was compelling enough to, to have people switch. The other thing [11:22] about Lauren Boebert that is really, uh, sort of ho-hum is that she really hasn't done anything. She [11:26] hasn't passed much. She hasn't done anything to support her district, uh, uh, obviously. And so on [11:31] election night, she counts on those late votes from Douglas County that are obviously not going [11:34] her way this time, went her way last time. And I think she kind of, she kind of coasted and sat [11:38] back a little bit. And I think that's a warning for Democrats. I don't agree that necessarily this [11:42] district will go back red in two years. I think if, if Laubacher can hold onto it, and I think she [11:46] could do a modicum of a good job and, and do something that results in some action finally [11:51] for this district and further from Congress, I think she could maintain that seat for another [11:54] two years, at least. Michael, you have a look on your face that says, I think Eileen Laubacher is [11:58] going to be the next, uh, Betsy Markey. Yeah. And I think that's probably the case because [12:02] even for granted, like you wouldn't have said going into this, that Jeff Crank and Lauren [12:06] Boebert would lose. Um, and that happened. So obviously, you know, this is why you have to take [12:10] everything seriously in politics and a big swing. Uh, you look at Republicans didn't take some of the [12:14] races seriously in the Senate and in the house and every seat does matter. And so again, I'm not [12:19] saying taking it for granted, but the district, the makeup of the district, uh, Republicans should [12:23] be able to win this. And I think a different Republican will in two years. All right. Today, [12:27] the bright spot for Republicans here in Colorado is in CD3. Congressman Jeff Hurd looks like he's [12:32] going to hang on to his seat. I was like, what is it? What is the race? Not final just yet, but it looks like he has [12:36] enough votes, a couple thousand lead. He came from behind against Dwayne Romero right there. What do you think it was [12:41] about Congressman Hurd, that he was able to keep his seat and in particular, keep the margins down [12:47] for Democrats in Pueblo County, where we saw, we talk about Hispanic voters shifting, I think [12:51] somewhere in Colorado, 26, 28 points to Democrats. They did not do that in Pueblo County and they [12:56] stayed with Hurd, Michael. Yeah, I think that Jeff Hurd was a good example of somebody who represents his [13:01] district really well, that people didn't seem, look like an extremist or anything. It's just a, [13:05] uh, you know, a conservative. And I think he wasn't again, as Trumpy as some of these other [13:09] candidates were. And I think there is, you know, this pushback with, with Donald Trump's approval [13:13] rating as low as it was in the country and as low as it was in the state. Um, Jeff Hurd was looked [13:17] at somebody who was more independent, um, and fit that district, you know, more of the, the mold of [13:22] a Scott Tipton, um, who ended up losing in his primary. But I do think that it was surprising [13:27] because voter registration wise, that's the second closest district. The CD8 is the first. And then that [13:32] one, you would think that that one would go instead of the one in El Paso or, or Lohan Boebers. And so I [13:37] think looking at that, he worked hard. He did rate, take, take the race seriously. He raised [13:41] money. Um, but I think he looked was really fits that district well. And winning in a year like [13:45] this means that he's probably going to keep winning, uh, because they trust him in that [13:49] district and know him now. Yeah. The most, the most un-Trumpian actually member of Congress [13:53] in Colorado for sure. And he kept his distance the furthest away from the president, which I think [13:56] was, I mean, the president was completely toxic in this election. I mean, you know, the president [14:00] saying that he wasn't on the ballot. I mean, it's a good thing he wasn't on the ballot. They'd lose [14:03] worse. So it was a, it was just a remarkable rebuke of Donald Trump. And I think [14:07] Jeff Heard has done a good job of padding himself, um, around that and keeping, keeping Trump [14:11] away and also serving the district. Well, he's a, he's a good servant to the public and obviously [14:15] will continue on for another two years. All right, stick around. We'll come back and dive [14:18] into more races with governor's race here in Colorado and also talk about what happened [14:22] all across the country, including no stunning numbers for the U.S. Senate. We'll be right [14:26] back. Welcome back to your local election headquarters. Busy week after the midterms. As we sit [14:35] here on Thursday, it looks like the U.S. Senate could go to the Democrats. If Alaska and Mississippi, [14:41] the results hold as they are right now. Democrats pick up those seats, flipping both of them. [14:45] Mississippi, I think potentially being one of the biggest shockers right there. A lot of people [14:48] didn't have that on their radar. It would be 56 to 44 for the Democrats. Did you think this was [14:55] even possible to have those kinds of numbers, Andy? Not, not a chance. I mean, we didn't think [14:58] that was going to happen in the U.S. Senate at all. And it just has to do with cycle and cyclical [15:03] kind of politics, which we keep talking about. But, but this big swing in the U.S. Senate [15:06] is fairly dramatic. I mean, for the, for the upper chamber to have more seats for Democrats [15:10] this time is, as, as significant as we do, is, is a super majority. It's, it's a remarkable [15:16] opportunity for Democrats to do some actual good and to make some things happen after, [15:20] you know, there were, there were complaints after the, the big, beautiful bill passed that, [15:23] you know, John Kennedy was quoted as saying, we've done nothing in the Senate since the big, [15:27] beautiful bill. Well, let's do something in the Senate this time. And let's, let's see what we [15:30] can do to stretch across the aisle and reach hands. And then also obviously get some of the work [15:36] the last two years, Michael. No, it didn't predict that this would be nearly this big, [15:40] obviously thought it would be a one or two seat either way. And that, you know, that wave started [15:45] early in the night. We're looking at some of these results and say, South Carolina, South Carolina. [15:49] I mean, yeah. And then obviously Mississippi later on in the night, you figured it out, but it was [15:53] that close. Florida, almost, you know, two point victory when it was, you know, 17 or 18 points four [15:59] years ago when Rubio ran. I think the, the key for what's going on nationally too, though, is while [16:04] Republicans lost big and Democrats won big, both parties are still underwater when it comes to [16:09] favorability rating, right? Like people aren't happy with what's happening in DC regardless of the [16:13] party. And so I'm curious to see, you know, how do Democrats respond with these big majorities? Do [16:18] they go in, are they doing impeachments? Are they doing, you know, hearings, like going after [16:22] Trump constantly, or are they actually going to try to pass policies? You have, you can go pass bills [16:26] and send it to the president's desk. What do those look like? They talk about affordability and [16:30] everything else. What are the actual bills and policies they're going to send to the president? [16:33] I'm very curious to see that because the cost of living is too high in the country. Gas prices are [16:38] too high, but people have to enact policies and Trump can decide to veto or not. But what do those [16:43] bills look like to start with? Andy, you're a political strategist. You advise a lot of Democrats. [16:47] What would you tell them to do when it turns to working with President Donald Trump, who said this [16:51] week, yes, I'm willing to work with Democrats. And he also said, I'm willing to veto a lot of [16:55] legislation. So what do you think their best kind of focus is? I talked with Colorado Congressman [17:00] Crowe about this earlier today, and he talked about what Michael did right there. A lot of [17:04] got to address the prices, got to address health care. Yet he also talked about addressing Secretary [17:08] Hegseth. Yeah, I mean, there is some work to do. And I think Secretary Hegseth is going to be up for [17:12] at least hearings here coming up very shortly if he doesn't resign himself or get fired. But I think [17:17] what's interesting is, you know, as the Trump administration starts to kind of start to break apart now, [17:21] you're going to see resignations and terminations come pretty swiftly here. And Democrats are going [17:27] to start to meet and gather about 28. I think what's interesting about it is, you know, the ability [17:32] for Democrats to craft policy, I would suggest would be number one, getting affordability under [17:38] control, getting gas prices under control, trying to figure out the war in Iran and get some foreign [17:42] policy experts to actually know what they're doing in charge this time and make that happen. But I [17:47] think what the biggest thing for Democrats right now is to ignore really what Trump is saying, [17:52] because he really obviously has been untruthful since the start and really concentrate on what [17:57] they can do to enact policy and pass policy with the sheer just raw numbers they have, just the [18:02] significant numbers they have as an advantage to get a lot of things done, including health care [18:05] and including obviously affordability and getting gas prices in control. So a lot of that is [18:10] a component of a bigger, a bigger thing. But yes, Hegseth is going to be on the microscope for sure [18:15] if he's not gone himself. But there's a lot to do. And I would suggest that Democrats get going [18:19] on that work first. Michael, do you trust that the parties are going to be able to work together [18:23] in Congress or at least the Democrats work with the president and his administration to get some [18:28] of these issues passed? I haven't seen it. Obviously, you know, President Trump had a first term, [18:32] has a second term now. I think the, you know, the animosity, the negativity towards Trump from the [18:39] Democratic Party is huge. And it's vice versa, right? That I don't know. I think they might, [18:43] you know, end up coming into, you know, the Oval Office and putting on, you know, here's in front [18:47] of the cameras, we're going to work together and this and that. I just, I think it's hard. It's [18:51] easier said than done. And especially when the base of the party in the Democratic Party is leaning [18:56] more and more towards DSA that don't work with anything, don't do anything. I think they're going [19:00] to have internal struggles with this big of a majority. This is what happens when you have a huge [19:04] majority is, okay, how do you get along? How do you? But again, I don't know what specific bills [19:09] they're going to be passing and putting in front of the president. If they're good ones, then he should sign them. [19:12] But we haven't heard that. We've just heard complaints. But is it harder to have a big [19:16] majority like that, as you just mentioned, or is it harder to have what Republicans had for the [19:19] last couple of years where Speaker Johnson, who is no longer going to be the leader of the [19:23] Republicans in the House, he says, and he's trying to rein in because he's only got three votes to [19:27] lose, potentially. It's both, right? Like on one hand, you're like, how do we keep things together? [19:31] You know, you had Republicans had to deal with, is the speaker going to stay, you know, a couple [19:35] representatives can do a lot. But on the other side, when you have a huge majority, which we're going to see [19:39] in Colorado soon with a huge, you know, 49, 50 seats in the House, it becomes a little bit more [19:44] extreme, too. And you have to deal with a big party that has different views and representing [19:48] different people. That is very hard to manage, too, because you're like, hey, how do we shut [19:52] down some of these things that are crazy ideas? You know, that takes leadership. And I don't know how [19:56] that's going to look. I think the Democrats are different than the Republicans in that, you know, [19:59] the Republicans have completely fractured from a mega base and what was going to be America [20:05] first. That's all falling apart. And it's a big lie to, you know, those that have still stayed with [20:09] the president, to those that have moved away from the president, like Jeff Hurd, who saved his seat [20:13] and saved his job. And it is obviously a shining example, a poster child of how Republicans win [20:18] in a Trump era like this. So I think what's the end of the day, what's going to happen is, you know, [20:24] Democrats have, yes, varied fractions as well. I mean, there are different ideas throughout the [20:28] Democratic Party on how to go forward. But at least we know we have to go forward. We have to move [20:33] forward and that people are demanding it. I mean, Michael talked about the low approval of [20:37] Congress in general. That's true. I mean, it really is. I think it's 29 percent or 28 percent [20:42] right now. And I think it's just sort of an overview of how unwilling the public has been [20:47] to listen to what's going on in Washington or not in that regard. And the next step is to see [20:52] how we can get this done. He's very complimentary of Congressman Hurd today. Yeah, I know. [20:56] Well, he's a lone wolf now. So, you know. All right. Stick around. We'll come back and talk more [21:01] about the future of Colorado with the winners here from the statewide election. Stay there. [21:05] We're back. Here's your local election headquarters talking all things midterms elections, [21:13] midterm elections. There we go. Let's talk about Phil Weiser winning the governor's race. [21:17] He is now governor-elect winning by a stunning 27 points. I think most people, most political [21:23] people thought he was going to win. I'm not sure that they thought he was going to win by that much. [21:26] What do you two see as the Weiser administration and Phil Weiser as governor looking like as we go [21:32] for the next four years, Andy? Well, a couple of things come to mind about Phil Weiser. I mean, [21:36] Phil Weiser won this race really back last summer when the Republicans picked Victor Marks as their [21:40] nominee. I mean, it was clear that Phil Weiser was going to be the governor of Colorado. So I think he [21:44] began in that process of putting people together. He's put a transition team together that's pretty [21:49] smart right now. I think where he's going to struggle a little bit is with the legislature in [21:53] terms of moderates and progressives in the legislature and pushing back on things. I think Phil Weiser's [21:58] got to understand how to compromise and also, I mean, how, you know, how to not give up so [22:03] easily. I mean, I hope, I hope that he pushes back on the legislature and there's, there's [22:06] some even competition between, you know, members of the legislature and what they're trying to get [22:10] done and what the, what the governor's trying to execute. But that I'm worried about that [22:14] relationship a little bit because the legislature can be overwhelming. It can be overwhelmingly left [22:19] and hard sometimes to deal with, but also on the other side of that, they're very reasonable [22:23] on other, on other matters. And I've got, you know, we've got a governor elect who is used to [22:27] being a litigator and looking everything at black and white, and it's really not in a legislative [22:31] session. So there's a lot of gray. I'm hoping that the governor elect minus his, his brown hair [22:37] turning to gray might actually understand that there is some gray here as well. Michael, I don't [22:42] know. And I don't think a lot of people do know what it's going to look like under Phil Weiser. I think [22:46] that's the biggest question around the Capitol and everywhere else. What does the Weiser [22:48] administration look like? It's going to be a tough job. Andy outlined why. But I also think [22:53] campaigning is different than governing. And as you have, you know, you interviewed Jared Polis [22:58] and he even, he was, I don't know how he's going to deal with some of these ballot measures that [23:01] passed and how to interact with that. So I think there's a lot of questions hanging over and he's [23:04] going to have to decide with supermajority, what does that look like? And I don't think anybody knows [23:09] yet. Do you think the supermajority in the state house, in the state Senate, the first time [23:13] Colorado has had that for either party since the forties, do you think that all of those Democrats [23:18] are going to be together on all of these issues? Or are they going to fracture and governor elect Phil Weiser [23:22] probably is not going to have to look at getting a veto overridden by them, Michael? [23:26] I don't know. I think it's going to be issue by issue. I don't know how many veto overrides [23:30] there'll be, or if Weiser thinks it's going to happen anyway, maybe he signs it. But the point I [23:33] want to make about the supermajority and what's happening in Colorado right now is that Democrats [23:37] truly own it all now. When you have the supermajority, you own it all. You know, we've been dropping [23:41] in rankings on safety, on economic issues for several years. Now you have the Tabor cap that's gone. [23:47] You're going to have a progressive tax structure. You're going to have those supermajorities in the [23:51] legislature. You have a 7-1 map in the federal government. Congress has now gone to the [23:55] Democrats. And so I think I know how this is going to go. I think we all know how this is going to go, [23:59] but it's not going to be good for Colorado. So I'm very worried about what's going to happen in this [24:02] next session. Andy, you agree with him there? Well, there are parts of it that I agree with for [24:06] sure. I mean, I think 87 passing is a problem. I think it was a concern for a lot of people. [24:11] And I think that policy is just going to make us, I think now the ninth highest tax state, [24:17] as the governor said, in the country. And that obviously reduces our competition for [24:22] competing against states like Utah and Arizona. And now we're going to have to compete with bigger [24:25] states and lose as a result. And I'm worried about that a lot. And I'm hoping that we can [24:30] somehow soften that edge a little bit and rough out that corner because it's going to be a tough [24:36] road to hoe for that to happen. But at the end of the day, the Democrats are in charge. We'll see what [24:40] they can do. And hopefully there's a lot of good road ahead. 10 seconds, Michael. [24:43] I think, you know, people participating in that process is good. Voting, [24:47] getting out there and doing it. And so we'll see how it turns out. [24:50] For sure. Okay. It's been a busy election week. Michael Fields, Andy Boy, and I'm Matt Morrow. [24:53] Thank you so much for joining us here at your local election headquarters. We'll see you next time.