Democrat Jared Polis secured a second term as Colorado’s governor and defeated his Republican opponent, Heidi Ganahl, on Tuesday.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as your governor for the last four years and it will be an honor to continue to serve as your governor,” Polis said during his victory speech, according to 9News.
The Denver Post reported that the Polis gave his victory speech just before 8 p.m. Tuesday at a downtown Denver watch party.
“I will never stop fighting for the future and the state that we love,” Polis said, per 9News.
Ganahl conceded to Polis
The Colorado Sun reported that Ganahl conceded the election via a written statement to the media at about 8:30 p.m.
“(Tuesday) did not go the way we had hoped and prayed for, but I know this movement is real,” Ganahl wrote in a statement, per the Denver Post. “This Mom on a Mission is proud to have given a voice to the army of mad moms, dads, and grandparents of Colorado who are scared about what the future of our beautiful state holds for our kids and grandkids.”
While holding 59% of the vote, Polis had maintained a large lead from the beginning to the end of the race. Ganahl was behind Polis by more than 250,000 votes at the 8:15 p.m. timestamp on Tuesday according to CPR News.
Before Ganahl had conceded the election, Polis went on stage to give a victory speech and address his supporters.
“The fact is we did something simple. We focused on issues that really affect people’s lives and we delivered real results,” Polis said.
What Polis said after reelection
“Voters have shown clearly tonight that they support Polis’ positive vision for the state, and we look forward to moving Colorado forward together in his second term,” Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, said in a statement.
In his victory speech, Polis reaffirmed his supporters by reminding them of his decisions as their elected governor during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We focused on lowering costs and more freedom. We led with rational data-driven COVID policies that supported personal freedom and responsibility and resulted in Colorado having the ninth-lowest COVID death rate in the entire nation,” Polis said.