Colorado voters re-elected U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter tonight, paving the way for a Democratic landslide.
The state also picked former state school board member Jared Polis to take the U.S. House seat being vacated by Mark Udall.
Polis, an Internet entrepreneur from Boulder, was leading 65 percent to 31 percent with 11 percent of precincts reporting. Polis won a heated Democratic primary in August and beat back Republican opponent Scott Starin tonight.
Salazar, also a Democrat, was elected to a third term in Congress tonight, leading challenger Wayne Wolf 51 percent to 48 percent with 14 percent of precincts reporting.
Democrat DeGette led GOP challenger George Lilly 72 percent to 24 percent with 42 percent of precincts reporting.
“Colorado has gone from red to purple to blue,” DeGette said as she celebrated with other Democrats at the downtown Sheraton Hotel.
The whoops from the crowd became louder and more frequent as CNN flashed results showing Barack Obama had clinched Florida, Pennsylvania, other states and then Colorado.
“How much better can it get?” an excited Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper asked the hundreds of people in the crowded hotel ballroom. They roared back in victory.
The mood in the hotel ballroom, with its cash bar, was like a celebrity wedding reception. It would be along night, and Democrats were already rollicking.
Discouraging moments were infrequent, coming only when John McCain won a state _ like the big boos when Texas was called for the Republican.
Perlmutter was leading his GOP challenger, John Lerew, 64 percent to 36 percent.
