DENVER — Democratic incumbent Jena Griswold defeated Republican challenger Pam Anderson in Tuesday’s election to decide who will be the next Colorado secretary of state, according to The Associated Press.
Griswold said after her victory that she knows how important it is for every Coloradan to have their voice heard.
"That’s why as SOS I stood up to election deniers, to conspiracy theorists, to those who threaten our elections," Griswold said. "To protect every eligible voter’s right to cast a ballot in safe and accessible elections. With tonight's victories, Coloradans from the front range to the eastern plains, the western slope and the San Luis Valley came together to vote for democracy."
Anderson conceded her loss, congratulating Griswold.
"We cannot allow our elections administration to be turned into a political football, she said. "It's been weaponized both sides to be used against political opponents."
"Elections officials and administrators, republicans, democrats, and unaffiliated are you bipartisan friends and community members. The vast majority of them check their partisanship at the door and perform their functions with integrity and purpose," Anderson said.
She finished by saying that she'll continue to partner with election workers for free, fair and transparent elections.
"We are going to rebuild our trust in our system," Anderson concluded.
Griswold was elected to her first term in 2018 after defeating incumbent Republican Secretary of State Wayne W. Williams.
Anderson previously served two terms as the Jefferson County clerk, and also led the County Clerks Association for five years. She played a central role in establishing the state’s all-mail balloting system and is a staunch advocate for it.
Griswold ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Anderson defeated Tina Peters and Mike O’Donnell in the Republican primary.
The results are below (polls close at 7 p.m.):
Results are called by The Associated Press. Click here for more on how AP calls races.
>Find all of our election coverage at 9news.com/elections.
In a 9NEWS debate last month, Griswold and Anderson talked about their positions on several key issues in the 2022 Colorado elections, including election security and accessibility, dark money in politics, voter intimidation, automatic voter registration, election deniers and more.
You can watch the full debate below:
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SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado 2022 elections
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