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The other six competitive districts cover terrain that has largely been held by Democrats in recent years. One of those, Senate District 3 in Pueblo, has an incumbent state Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, who was appointed to represent the area earlier this year.

In all, Republicans would likely have to keep Woodwards seat while also capturing at least five of the six vulnerable Democratic districts.

Some people call them vulnerable, said Democratic state Sen. Julie Gonzales, co-chair of the partys Senate election operation, of the candidates in races targeted by Republicans. I call them frontliners, because theyre on the frontlines of flipping those seats blue and keeping them blue.

The results could also show whether Colorado Republicans can move past Trumps deep unpopularity in Colorado. Voters in 2020 swung heavily against the former president, breaking against him by 10-plus points in most of the competitive Senate districts.

Wadhams said he thinks Republicans will get a boost simply because Trump is out of office and off the ballot.

There's no doubt that Trump was a big liability to Republican candidates in 2020 and 2018, he said.

Sen. Paul Lundeen, who is leading the reelection effort for the GOP, said crime and the economy will be the winning issues for his party.

It's just the affordability of life, and everything that Biden and the Democrats in the state of Colorado have done to make life unaffordable, he said. That's what's driving the conversation right now When I'm on doorsteps, that's the only thing people wanna talk about."

But Gonzales said the last few months have improved the outlook for Democrats.

At the beginning of summer, there were all of these doomsday reports about the end of the Democratic trifecta, and The red wave is coming, she said.

Thats changed, she argued.

The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade has motivated some Coloradans to vote against Republicans, citing their opposition to legal abortion. And Gonzales said Democratic candidates will also drive home the partys gains for working families, such as the Polis administrations moves to offer free all-day kindergarten and expanded preschool, as well as health care reforms.

The state Senate battlegrounds are arrayed across the state. In the northwestern quadrant of Colorado, state Rep. Dylan Roberts is running to replace state Sen. Kerry Donovan, a fellow Democrat who is term-limited, in a district that has leaned toward Democrats recently.

About 48 percent of voters within the new borders of Senate District 8 favored Trump in 2016, but that support dropped to 44 percent in 2020. The vast district includes ski towns like Vail and Steamboat Springs, coal mining communities like Craig, and remote swaths along the Wyoming and Utah borders.

Roberts is close with the Polis administration and sponsored the Colorado option a new program aimed at reducing health care costs, especially in rural and mountain areas. It has not yet gone into effect.

I absolutely believe it's a competitive district the way that it was drawn, and just given the environment this year, Roberts said.

Hes running in part on Democrats recent legislation on health care and housing.

Not everything happens overnight, but we are making really good headway on the biggest challenges facing this district, he said. I think I offer somebody who's willing to compromise and get things done rather than stick to a hard-line political position.

Opposing Roberts is Republican Matt Solomon, whos resume includes stints as a paramedic, deputy coroner and a council member for the town of Eagle, as well as a gun shop owner, among other gigs. His website highlights traditional conservative priorities fighting tax increases, defending freedom, protecting gun rights.

Colorado has traditionally been a balanced state. It forces conversation, and when we force conversation, better policy comes about, said Solomon, who was urged to run by party officials and friends. He wants to slow the growth of the state budget while also increasing education funding, though he said he wasnt sure yet what cuts he would push for to achieve that.

Economic issues are the focus for business consultant and first-time Republican candidate Tom Kim, who is running in Senate District 27 in Centennial against Democratic state Rep. Tom Sullivan.

I really want to focus on the economy and affordability as the number one issue. Crime and public safety is a very close second for me, because without safe communities, it's hard to live the rest of your life, Kim said.

His opponent, Sullivan, has been a champion of stricter gun laws during his time at the state capitol. He decided to get into politics after his son Alex was killed in the Aurora theater shooting. And Sullivan is no stranger to competitive races; in 2018 when he first ran for the House he unseated an incumbent Republican to win his seat.

Candidates and political parties are pouring money into the elections already. In the top Senate battleground districts, Democratic candidates have raised about $875,000 in donations, compared to about $749,000 for Republicans.

Meanwhile, independent Republican groups have spent an estimated $844,000 on the battlegrounds, almost twice the $470,000 spent on the Democratic side.

But some of the biggest money is still to come. The Senate Democrats spending group had nearly $3 million in reserve as of Aug. 31, and Republicans could have more waiting in other accounts, too.

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As Colorado Republicans look for a way back to power, the state Senate may be the party's best chance. Here are the races to watch - Colorado Public...