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Colorado State Senator Morgan Carroll. (John Leyba, Denver Post file photo)

Republicans are officially in charge of the Colorado Senate, ending a decade-long drought where they painfully watched Democrats win the majority in five straight elections.

The streak ended in 2014. Senate Republicans hold 18 seats to the Democrats' 17.

The race that tipped the balance of power to Republicans occurred in Senate District 24 in Adams County. Republican Beth Martinez Humenik, a seven-year member of the Thornton City Council, beat Democrat Judy Solano, a former state representative, by 876 votes for the open seat.

The counting wasn't completed until late Friday.

"I'm elated," Humenik said Saturday. "Now I'm ready to get to work and get some things done for the people."

House Democrats will hold a 34-31 majority after three of their members were ousted in an election that clearly favored Republicans in Colorado and nationwide as voters struggled with midterm angst.

Political observers say split control of the legislature is a boon for Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper as he begins his second term in office. One side or the either is likely to kill controversial legislation, ensuring it doesn't get to his desk.

A GOP blindside in Adams County and gun-control efforts also played a role in Republican victories in both chambers.

Senate Democrats conceded Saturday morning, saying they would "do whatever possible to block efforts to take the state backward."

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GOP win Colorado Senate, Democrats vow to hold party accountable

DENVER (AP) - Democrats ceded control of the Colorado state Senate to the GOP on Saturday, setting up a divided Legislature after two years of Democratic control.

Democratic Senate President Morgan Carroll announced Saturday morning that the chamber has flipped from 18 Democrats and 17 Republicans to 18 Republicans and 17 Democrats.

Republicans immediately vowed to pursue changes. GOP Leader Bill Cadman, a Colorado Springs senator expected to be named president, said his party would move away from the extraordinary divisiveness of recent years.

We are here to serve common interests, not special interests, Cadman said in a statement.

Carroll vowed to work with the new Republican majority. People dont want gridlock. I think people said that loud and clear, the Aurora Democrat told reporters.

She joked that every day was sort of a prolonged eternity while waiting for ballot results, but that close contests required waiting.

The switch gives returning Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper a divided Legislature. Democrats lost ground in the House, but they appear to have hung on in that chamber.

A spokeswoman said the governor was unavailable for comment Saturday.

Democrats have had the majority in both chambers the past two years, allowing them to easily pass many items on their wish-list, including civil unions and lower college tuition for children who grew up in Colorado but are in the country illegally.

They also steered through more divisive legislation, such as new gun restrictions and allowing drivers licenses for residents living in Colorado illegally. Democratic leaders insisted Saturday that their ambitious agenda during the last two years wasnt to blame for losses in an election that favored the GOP nationwide.

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Democrats Acknowledge GOP Control Of Colorado Senate

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