DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — The midterm elections came as a surprise to many as Democrats across the country won in big ways.
In Colorado, it was no different, which now begs the question: Are certain Republican strongholds becoming less dark red and more purple or even light blue?
One community that saw a lot of Republican wins was Douglas County, and Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito is diving into the numbers about why the shift in votes and where the county is going forward.
First, looking at the results and comparing them to 2022, Douglas County voters supported more Democrats at all levels in 2026 than in years prior.
At the federal level, Democrats John Hickenlooper and Eileen Laubacher defeated their Republican opponents for U.S. Senate and House respectively. Four years ago, however, the Republicans in both races won by more than eight points each.
At the state level, you notice big changes as in 2022 a total of three seats were up for grabs in the state Senate, and five in the state House. Republicans won all three in the Senate that year and four of the five in the House. In 2026, however, Democrats won two of the three seats in the State Senate and three out of five in the House.
Then at the local level, not only did DougCo voters vote to expand from three county commissioners to five, but in the race for Commissioner Abe Laydon's seat, who is term limited, Republican candidate Jake Bockenfeld defeated his Democratic challenger Irene Bonham by less than 4,200 votes. In 2022, Laydon, who is a Republican, won that seat by more than 27,000.
All of this begs the question: Why the shift? Leaders of both Douglas County's Democratic and Republican parties have their theories.
"We had a lot of good conversations at doors, and voters are tired of government corruption," said DougCo Democratic Party Chair Meg Furlow.
"I think there was a referendum kind of against the federal government that trickled down into local candidates," said DougCo GOP First Vice Chair Matt Smith.
Both Furlow and Smith shared their surprise with Melito about the election results.
Smith said while he felt there were great Republican candidates running in this election, the party needs to adapt to the changing times.
"I don't think we can operate like it would be silly to try to operate exactly the same way that we always have," Smith told Melito. "We have to prove to the people that we are the party that can responsibly lead this county."
But he added his belief they don't need to change too drastically given there are still a number of people in DougCo with "Republican values".
"Do we need to move further to the left? I don't think so at all. I think we just need to have different implementation strategies, definitely different communication strategies, and again, just making sure that the people trust Republicans in office, and that the Republicans are representing the best interests of the people," said Smith.
And he noted that demographics are changing in the county.
"I feel like you moved to Douglas County because you like public safety, you like the way the county is being run, and then unfortunately, there's folks that want to turn it into Denver," Smith said.
Furlow told Melito she is confident that 2026 isn't a blip but rather is a turning point.
"I think demographics are changing for sure, but I think voters are fed up with our county elected officials," Furlow said. "We have commissioners that have done away with general public comment. They're not holding town halls in accessible areas. Lauren Boebert, 50% of her constituents are here, and she's never shown up here. People are tired of it, and they want a representative who shows up and listens to them and represents their interests."
She also expressed her excitement for DougCo expanding to five commissioners in the coming years.
"It's two years away, so a lot of things could happen but I guarantee we will have a Democratic county commissioner in 2028," Furlow predicted.
As for where the county currently stands, is it dark red Republican? Is it a lighter shade of red or purple? Or could it be full-on blue? Furlow and Smith have their takes.
"We are like a reddish purple," Furlow said.
"I think we're lightish red at this point," said Smith.
WATCH: Is Douglas County becoming less of a Republican stronghold?
