The tumultuous year in politics left an indelible mark in Colorado — one that guarantees the state’s political landscape will never look the same.
Beyond the – presidential campaign, the 2016 election revealed deep divides in Colorado’s political parties and stirred questions about whether the state remains a “purple” battleground.
Moreover, it exposed flaws in Colorado’s election system — from how candidates qualify for the ballot to how voters pick a president — and frequently forced the state to defend its approach in court.
Here’s a look at the top 10 political storylines from 2016 and the impact on Colorado politics in the years to come.
1. Huge controversies marred presidential primaries
The Colorado Republican Party at the 2016 caucus, a move that drew from Donald Trump, who when Sen. Ted Cruz .
The state Democratic Party struggled to manage the at the and also came under fire for bias after it — costing Bernie Sanders a delegate — and only confessed after being confronted by .
The Cruz and Sanders victories in the Colorado caucus put the state opposite the trends and showcased a split between the local activists and the national parties.
Impact: The chaos from the presidential caucus helped pass to — one open to unaffiliated voters who could not participate in the caucus process without joining a political party. The addition of 1 million voters in the political middle may change the dynamic of which candidates win Colorado in the future, unless the parties invoke a loophole for state and local primaries.
2. To make the ballot, candidates were forced to fight in court
The questions about how Republican candidates qualified for the U.S. Senate race . Three candidates to collect enough valid signatures to qualify — and later only made the ballot .
Meanwhile, submitted by former Rep. Jon Keyser led to that cost the one-time frontrunner in the race and against a canvasser helping his campaign. Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams later admitted his office in reviewing the petitions and .
Impact: The court orders set new parameters about how to count petition signatures in future elections. But the entire fiasco revealed deeper problems with the state law on qualifying for the primary ballot and led to demands for changes.
3. Outside money fueled a hard-right turn in U.S. Senate race
With the race mired in a voter-fraud controversy, won the Republican nomination. Darryl Glenn two millionaire self-funding candidates from the Senate Conservatives Fund and other anti-establishment organizations that said they pumped $1 million into getting him nominated.
and poor campaign from Republicans and didn’t appeal to Colorado’s swing voters, making the race despite the fact incumbent Michael Bennet entered the year as the most vulnerable Democratic senator in the nation. In the end, Glenn managed to get within 6 percentage points.
Impact: The power of outside national money to shift a race is a benchmark that will color other statewide races in the future. And how the Republican Party manages the ideological split in its ranks will determine whether it can win.
4. Colorado steals the show at the Republican National Convention
Colorado’s delegates didn’t like Trump and told the world at the RNC in Cleveland. Cruz supporters and conservative activists in a failed attempt to block the New York businessman’s nomination. And the delegation to protest the party’s strong-arm tactics, upsetting the Republican unity message ahead of the election.
Impact: Colorado’s delegation sign in the Smithsonian collection, but the hard feelings and split in the party simmer under the surface and may shape the next party chairman’s contest.
5. Democratic governor’s stance on energy issues splits party’s base
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper as or for Hillary Clinton. But for energy production and fracking sparked opposition within his own party, particularly among hardcore environmentalists, who staged at the Democratic National Convention.
Impact: The fracking issue is likely to become a litmus test in the Democratic contest for governor in 2018, and how the candidates handle the topic may impact whether the party can hold power.
6. Democrats top Republicans in active voters
For , Colorado counted more Democrats than Republicans among active voters. Democrats hit 999,000 through the end of September, compared with 993,000 Republicans. But the largest block still remains unaffiliated.
Impact: The symbolic victory helped drive a real one in November: Clinton by 4.85 percentage points, . If Democrats can maintain their advantage, it may help boost their chances in off-year elections, even though Republicans tend to do better in non-presidential years.
7. Colorado’s blue-collar Democrats revolt
Once considered the most reliable in Colorado, Pueblo County on Election Day by 390 votes, or 0.5 percentage points. It marks the first time since Richard Nixon in 1972 that a Republican won the county and reflected a national trend in which blue-collar voters rejected the Democratic Party.
Impact: Pueblo now ranks as a swing county in Colorado, despite being 40 percent Latino and Democratic. The dynamic leaves Democrats scrambling to regain support with these key constituencies ahead of the next election.
8. Is Colorado still a “purple” political state?
Colorado for the third election in a row — and the demographics and trend lines indicate a blue shift. But Republicans still hold four statewide seats and control of one legislative chamber. The split is renewing debate about where Colorado fits on the red-to-blue political spectrum and whether it deserves its coveted battleground status.
Impact: The 2018 midterm elections, , may help pinpoint Colorado’s place in the map once and for all.
9. A power shift at the ballot box
For years, Colorado residents enjoyed relatively significant power in election years — particularly the ability to vote constitutional measures that addressed issues that lawmakers ignored or rejected. For better or worse — and observers point to examples of both — itap now harder with the passage of , which requires 55 percent approval and petition signatures from each of the 35 state Senate districts.
Impact: The — yet still not entirely clear. The higher bar for constitutional measures will moderate the state’s citizen-led political movements and give more power to well-funded interests.
10. The elector protest challenges state law
One question from 2016 will carry into the new year: Are the state’s rules regarding the constitutional? Two Democratic electors in and court, leading to and against one “faithless” elector.
Impact: The electors exposed weak spots in state law that may require legislative action to better define how Colorado names a president — once the are concluded.