Colorado's Democratic governor declares re-election victory, challenger balks
By Keith Coffman and Daniel Wallis DENVER (Reuters) - Colorado's Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper declared victory on Wednesday in a tight re-election race against his Republican challenger, former U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez, even as ballots from 11 counties remained outstanding. But Beauprez, who had led narrowly against the former Denver mayor in early results, refused to concede on the grounds that some 120,000 votes still had to be counted, the Denver Post reported. Returns posted on the Colorado secretary of state website showed the governor with about 48.4 percent of votes, compared to about 47 percent for Beauprez, with 53 of 64 counties reporting. "I think I can demonstrate that one with no sleep can still experience great joy," Hickenlooper said at the state Capitol in Denver as supporters clapped and sang: "Four more years!" The declaration was a rare bit of optimism for Colorado Democrats after the swing state's voters ousted first-term Democratic Senator Mark Udall in favor of Republican Representative Cory Gardner in a race that was one of the top wins for Republicans in a night of victories. NBC and local media projected the race for Hickenlooper shortly before he declared victory, but an official winner has yet to be declared. Beauprez campaign officials did not return messages seeking comment. Speaking to local radio on Wednesday, Colorado's Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a Republican, said Hickenlooper's lead of some 25,000 votes "will probably hold up," and that the margin would have to be about 9,000 votes or fewer to trigger an automatic recount. Gessler said a candidate can call for a recount if the margin is greater than that but their campaign would have to pay for the process themselves. Any recount would take weeks to resolve. Hickenlooper, a former brew pub magnate who ran for a second term on Colorado's strong economic performance, faced controversies during his first term over a proposed school reform tax hike and stricter gun laws that were introduced after a movie theater shooting in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Republicans had argued the 62-year-old governor was weak. Beauprez, 66, has also criticized Hickenlooper' support for a renewable energy mandate and a failed $950 million tax hike for education reform proposed by the state's Democratic-led legislature. On Wednesday, Hickenlooper vowed to work with Republicans. "Now is not the time to be complacent, now is not the time to sit back and relax," he said. "It's the time to seize the bit." (Additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Susan Heavey)
