Colorado's 2nd congressional district

Colorado's 2nd congressional district
Colorado's 2nd congressional district
	Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Joe Neguse; D–Lafayette
Distribution	81.04% urban; 18.96% rural;
Population (2023)	721,783
Median household; income	$97,432
Ethnicity	76.1% White; 14.2% Hispanic; 4.3% Two or more races; 3.5% Asian; 0.9% Black; 0.9% other;
Cook PVI	D+17

Colorado's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district is located in the north-central part of the state, and encompasses the northwestern suburbs of Denver, including Boulder and Fort Collins. The district also includes the mountain towns of Vail, Granby, Steamboat Springs, and Idaho Springs. Redistricting in 2011 moved Larimer County, including the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland, to the 2nd from the 4th district.^[5] Meanwhile, redistricting in 2021 moved Loveland back to the 4th district and Broomfield and western Jefferson County to the 7th district.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Joe Neguse. He was elected in 2018 to replace Jared Polis, who retired after being elected governor of Colorado.

History

1890s

Following the 1890 U.S. census and associated reapportionment of seats in the United States House of Representatives, Colorado gained a second congressional district. The first representative elected to this district was John Calhoun Bell of The Populist party.

1990s

Following the 1990 U.S. census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 2nd congressional district consisted of Boulder, Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties, as well as portions of Adams, and Jefferson counties.

2000s

Following the 2000 U.S. census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 2nd congressional district consisted of Broomfield, Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, and Summit counties, as well as portions of Adams, Boulder, Jefferson, and Weld counties.

2010s

Following the 2010 U.S. census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 2nd congressional district consisted of Broomfield, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand and Summit counties; most of Boulder and Jefferson counties; and portions of Eagle, Larimer and Weld counties. Following the census, the 2nd district stretched further north to the Wyoming border while losing the western portion of Eagle County.

2020s

Redistricting in 2021 moved Loveland back to the 4th district and Broomfield and western Jefferson County to the 7th district. Also the 3rd congressional district lost Jackson County, Routt County, and most of Eagle County to the 2nd district.

Composition

#	County	Seat	Population
13	Boulder	Boulder	327,468
19	Clear Creek	Georgetown	9,355
37	Eagle	Eagle	55,285
47	Gilpin	Central City	5,891
49	Grand	Hot Sulphur Springs	15,769
57	Jackson	Walden	1,302
59	Jefferson	Golden	576,143
69	Larimer	Fort Collins	366,778
107	Routt	Steamboat Springs	25,007
117	Summit	Breckenridge	30,565

Cities of 10,000 people or more

Fort Collins – 169,810
Arvada – 124,402
Boulder – 108,250
Longmont – 98,885
Lafayette – 30,411
Erie – 30,038
Louisville – 21,226
Steamboat Springs – 13,224
Superior – 13,094
Edwards – 11,246

2,500 – 10,000 people

Gunbarrel – 9,554
Timnath – 9,344
Gypsum – 8,040
Eagle – 7,511
Avon – 6,072
Estes Park – 5,904
Breckenridge – 5,078
Vail – 4,835
Silverthorne – 4,402
Niwot – 4,306
Frisco – 2,804

Voting

Election Results
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Gore 52–43%
2004	President	Kerry 58–41%
2008	President	Obama 64–34%
2012	President	Obama 58–40%
2016	President	Clinton 56–35%
2016	Senate	Bennet 56.3-37%
2018	Governor	Polis 62.4-34.5%
2020	President	Biden 64–34%
2020	Senate	Hickenlooper 61.6-36.4%

Characteristics

This district is anchored in Boulder and Larimer counties which have the bulk of population in the district: both counties are mainly anchored by the large college towns of Boulder and Fort Collins, providing Democratic strength in the district.

The other parts of the district are diverse, ranging from far western Denver suburbs to agricultural areas and mountain towns. Eagle and Summit counties, home to the ski resort towns of Vail and Breckenridge and other tourism dependent towns such as Avon, Frisco and Silverthorne, are Democratic strongholds: however Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, while also being tourism dependent and Democratic leaning, do not vote as strongly for the Democrats. Grand County leans Republican, though the ski resort areas of the county in Winter Park are heavily Democratic.

The suburban areas of Denver represented in the 2nd district are more competitive; while Broomfield itself leans Democratic, the Jefferson County foothills are historically a Republican stronghold, though urban sprawl is eroding Republican dominance in the area. Similarly, Larimer County outside of Fort Collins is heavily Republican, however the county leans Democratic due to the influence and population of Fort Collins.

List of members representing the district

Member (District home)	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District created March 4, 1893
John Calhoun Bell (Montrose)	Populist	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903	53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Lost re-election.
Herschel M. Hogg (Telluride)	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1907	58th 59th	Elected in 1902 Re-elected in 1904. Retired.
Warren A. Haggott (Idaho Springs)	Republican	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1909	60th	Elected in 1906. Lost re-election.
John Andrew Martin (Pueblo)	Democratic	March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1913	61st 62nd	Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Retired.
Harry H. Seldomridge (Colorado Springs)	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
Charles B. Timberlake (Sterling)	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1933	64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost renomination.
Fred N. Cummings (Fort Collins)	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1941	73rd 74th 75th 76th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Lost re-election.
William S. Hill (Fort Collins)	Republican	January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1959	77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th	Elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Retired.
Byron Johnson (Denver)	Democratic	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961	86th	Elected in 1958. Lost re-election.
Pete Dominick (Englewood)	Republican	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963	87th	Elected in 1960. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Don Brotzman (Boulder)	Republican	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965	88th	Elected in 1962. Lost re-election.
Roy H. McVicker (Wheat Ridge)	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967	89th	Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
Don Brotzman (Boulder)	Republican	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975	90th 91st 92nd 93rd	Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Lost re-election
Tim Wirth (Boulder)	Democratic	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987	94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th	Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
David Skaggs (Boulder)	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1999	100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Retired.
Mark Udall (Eldorado Springs)	Democratic	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2009	106th 107th 108th 109th 110th	Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Mark Udall (Eldorado Springs)	Democratic	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2009	106th 107th 108th 109th 110th		2003–2013
Jared Polis (Boulder)	Democratic	January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2019	111th 112th 113th 114th 115th	Elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired to run for Governor of Colorado.	2003–2013
Jared Polis (Boulder)	Democratic	January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2019	111th 112th 113th 114th 115th		2013–2023
Joe Neguse (Lafayette)	Democratic	January 3, 2019 – present	116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.	2013–2023
Joe Neguse (Lafayette)	Democratic	January 3, 2019 – present	116th 117th 118th		2023–present

Previous election results

2002

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Udall (incumbent)	123,504	60%
	Republican	Sandy Hume	75,564	37%
	Libertarian	Norm Olsen	3,579	1%
	Natural Law	Patrick West	1,617	1%
	Constitution	Erik J. Brauer	1,258	1%
Majority			47,940	23%
Total votes			205,522	100%
	Democratic hold

2004

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Udall (incumbent)	207,900	67%
	Republican	Stephen M. Hackman	94,160	30%
	Libertarian	Norm Olsen	7,304	3%
Majority			113,740	37%
Total votes			309,364	100%
	Democratic hold

2006

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Udall (incumbent)	157,850	68%
	Republican	Rich Mancuso	65,481	28%
	Libertarian	Norm Olsen	5,025	2%
	Green	J.A. Calhoun	2,951	2%
Majority			92,369	40%
Total votes			231,307	100%
	Democratic hold

2008

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis	215,602	63%
	Republican	Scott Starin	116,619	34%
	Green	J.A. Calhoun	10,031	2%
	Unity	William Robert Hammons	2,176	1%
Majority			98,983	29%
Total votes			344,428	100%
	Democratic hold

2010

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis (incumbent)	148,768	57%
	Republican	Stephen Bailey	98,194	38%
	Constitution	Jenna Goss	7,087	3%
	Libertarian	Curtis Harris	5,060	2%
Majority			50,574	19%
Total votes			259,116	100%
	Democratic hold

2012

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis (incumbent)	234,758	56%
	Republican	Kevin Lundberg	162,639	39%
	Libertarian	Randy Luallin	13,770	3%
	Green	Susan P. Hall	10,413	2%
Majority			72,119	17%
Total votes			421,580	100%
	Democratic hold

2014

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis (incumbent)	196,300	57%
	Republican	George Leing	149,645	43%
Majority			46,655	14%
Total votes			345,945	100%
	Democratic hold

2016

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District House Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jared Polis (incumbent)	260,175	56%
	Republican	Nicholas Morse	170,001	37%
	Libertarian	Richard Longstreth	27,136	7%
Majority			90,174	19%
Total votes			457,312	100%
	Democratic hold

2018

Colorado's 2nd congressional district, 2018
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Neguse	259,608	60%
	Republican	Peter Yu	144,901	34%
	Independent	Nick Thomas	16,356	4%
	Libertarian	Roger Barris	9,749	2%
Majority			114,707	26%
Total votes			430,614	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020

Colorado's 2nd congressional district, 2020
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Neguse (incumbent)	316,925	61%
	Republican	Charles Winn	182,547	35%
	Libertarian	Thom Atkinson	13,657	2%
	Unity	Gary Swing	2,534	0.5%
Total votes			515,663	100.0
	Democratic hold

2022

Colorado's 2nd congressional district, 2022
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Neguse (incumbent)	244,107	70%
	Republican	Marshall Dawson	97,770	28%
	Colorado Center Party	Steve Yurash	2,876	0.8%
	American Constitution	Gary L. Nation	2,188	0.6%
	Unity	Tim Wolf	1,968	0.6%
Total votes			348,839	100.0
	Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries

References

^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based)". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013.
^ "My Congressional District".
^ "My Congressional District".
^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
^ "Judge rules in favor of Democratic map in Colorado redistricting." Denver Post. 2011-11-14. [1]

Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

40°08′53″N 105°44′40″W / 40.14806°N 105.74444°W / 40.14806; -105.74444

[1] "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based)". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013.

[2] "My Congressional District".

[3] "My Congressional District".

[2022_report-4] "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.

[5] "Judge rules in favor of Democratic map in Colorado redistricting." Denver Post. 2011-11-14. [1]

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