While our choice for President and other important races may not have gone our way, there were local victories of great importance to communities of color and minorities throughout Colorado.
Out of the 18 candidates we endorsed at the local, state, and national level, half of them won their race, including two Latinas and a historic victory in Routt County. We also helped pass eight important ballot initiatives and defeat three others.
“While we lost some close contests, all our endorsed candidates ran strong campaigns, with half of them winning their races — including the first Latina ever to be elected as Routt County Commissioner,” said Alex Sánchez, the founder and CEO of Voces Unidas Action Fund. “Latino and other progressive voters should be proud of their work to help elect all of these candidates and can be confident that these newly elected leaders will put the issues impacting working families throughout the central mountains and across the Western Slope at the forefront of their work as policymakers.”
At the federal level, Congresswoman Brittany Petterson won reelection in CD-7, which includes Lake County in the central mountains. And despite the final outcome for Vice President Kamala Harris (President) and Adam Frisch (CD-3), Latino voters in the central mountain region can hold their heads high after supporting both candidates by a 2-to-1 margin, according to our own exit polling.
We were proud to invest in the reelection of Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie in HD-13, Rep. Meghan Lukens in HD-26, and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco in HD-57, who became the first Latina and Mexican-born leader elected to the state legislature from the Western Slope in 2022. Given the outcome of the national election, their leadership in the state legislature becomes even more critical to our efforts to protect minority communities in Colorado against anticipated hostilities of the forthcoming administration.
With the election of Angelica Salinas, Routt County elected the first Latina to the Board of County Commissioners this November. Other endorsed candidates winning election or reelection as county commissioners included Matt Scherr (Eagle County), Elsa Tharp (Lake County), and Tamara Pogue (Summit County). Our endorsed candidate for State Board of Education in District 2, Kathy Gebhardt, also won her race.
Colorado Latinos also showed strong support for Amendment 79 (Constitutional Right to Abortion), helping to secure this historic victory for Colorado with 68% Latino support compared to 61% overall voter support. Voces Unidas ran an unprecedented 17-county electoral campaign in support of Amendment 79.
Voces Unidas also endorsed victorious Amendments G (Disabled Veterans), H (Judicial Discipline) and J (Marriage Equality); Propositions 129 (Veterinary Associates), JJ (Sports Betting Tax) and KK (Firearm and Ammo Tax); and 4A, a school district levy in Lake County. We were also pleased that Amendment 80 (School Vouchers), Propositions 127 (Mountain Lions), and 131 (Election Reform) were voted down by voters, consistent with our positions.
In 2024, Voces Unidas Action Fund and affiliates expanded their reach to new levels by contacting an unprecedented 242,443 voters in 17 Western Slope counties. This significant investment in base-building, candidate training, and direct engagement with Latinos and progressive voters paid off by electing champions dedicated to our issues.
Over the past year, we made 401,668 voter touchpoints, including making 56,618 phone calls, sending 46,515 pieces of mail, texting 30,782 times and knocking on 2,200 doors. Through our media and digital programs, we effectively engaged 157,443 registered voters, generating 3,746,000 Spanish radio ad impressions, 3,271,988 digital ad views, and 965,944 video ad views.
We thank all of you for your contributions to our efforts and are proud of the steps we are making towards a more equitable and just Colorado.
Click here to read our CEO’s message to the community after the election of Donald Trump.