T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News

Republicans appear to have won every race in LAC  

At the time of writing, Election Day, Nov. 5, election results were “very” unofficial since, as previously reported, a processing error sent Trinidad voters incorrect ballots missing the municipal ballot measure 2A, which made the counting process lengthier. However, early results still provided an outlook for the future of Las Animas County and what the City of Trinidad may look like.  

“These are very unofficial results. We still have a lot of ballots to count,” LAC clerk and recorder Karrie Apple said as she revealed the early election results. “It’s taking about an hour and a half to two hours per fifty ballots to duplicate… We don’t have a count yet on what we still have to process because they just went to the drop boxes… We’re still waiting for (the) duplication process and what we just brought in… As soon as we have the exact numbers, we’ll provide [an update].”  

Efforts toward educating the public in favor of increasing the lodging tax by 3% appeared to have been successful since, unlike a similar ballot in the past failing, the measure would be passed with 1,488 “yes” votes with only 1,009 “no” votes in early results.  

“We’re encouraged by the early vote results,” Jenn Green of the Trinidad Trails Alliance told The Chronicle-News. “If they hold and 2A passes, the city has an opportunity to be a leader among the rural communities of Colorado by using lodgers tax as a way to improve (the) quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Organizations like Trinidad Trails Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce stand ready to hold the city accountable and help identify and execute the facilities and programming that make a difference for Trinidadians. Thank you to the voters and supporters who stand behind 2A.” 

Early election results reveal that Las Animas County is still moderately conservative, with Republicans winning the county in every race, with the presidential margins being the closest with around 45% for Kamala Harris and 52% for Donald Trump. According to Ballotpedia, LAC hasn’t voted for a Democrat president since Barrack Obama in 2012.  

Aside from those running unopposed, Republicans appear to have won every race, including the county races. Robert “Bob” Lucero won the LAC Commissioner seat for District 2 by around 830 votes, beating Democrat and current District Attorney Henry Solano.  

Republican Ty Winter appeared to have won by a wide margin for State Representative for District 47, garnering over 60% of the votes in the county compared to Elizabeth Bulthuis’ less than 40%. Although county results may still change, statewide results show that Winter is most likely winning reelection, where the margins are even higher, with Winter getting around 67% of the votes in the district.

Winter told The Chronicle-News, “The last two years representing House District 47 has been the greatest honor of my life, and it’s been the most important job I’ve ever had, and I’ve put a lot of work into this district, and I think it showed at the polls. I look forward to going back to the capital during the 75th General Assembly and continuing to represent House District 47 with ethics, values, and integrity. I promise all my constituents in southern and southeastern Colorado I’ll continue to tell the story of this district and fight for heritage and way of life.”  

Sherrie Wright, also a Republican, beat out Ellen Angeles by 402 votes for the State Board of Education in Congressional District 3. However, the race for Representative to the 119th US Congress saw a much closer battle in the county, with Jeff Hurd narrowly beating out Adam Frisch by only 34 votes, even though state results weren’t nearly as close.