It was another set of very close races in Garfield County — with Republicans just pulling ahead on the Board of County Commissioners in unofficial results. Voter turnout was about 77% — less than the 2020 presidential election turnout of 85%, but more than the 2022 midterm turnout of 67%.
In District 2, which encompasses Silt, New Castle, and Glenwood Springs, Republican Perry Will beat Democrat Caitlin Carey — both from New Castle — with 53.5% of the vote.
Will has served in both the state house and senate, and worked as a wildlife officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. On Tuesday night, he told Aspen Public Radiohe was looking forward to spending more time in the county, and being close to his grandkids.
“I know the county so well, and then you know…I know the people and I've worked my entire career, really, my adult life…in Garfield County,” he said.
Carey, who currently serves on New Castle Town Council, said she got into the race because she cared a lot about her neighbors and community in Garfield County, and she feels richer for the experience of her campaign.
“For now, I will serve New Castle with every fiber of my being for as long as I can,” she said. “I don't know what the future holds. I know that I was made to serve my community in a capacity that I don't fully grasp yet, and I will continue to sift through that so that I know what it is.”
The race for District 3, which includes western Garfield County from east of Rifle to the Utah state line, was even closer. Republican Mike Samson, a 16-year incumbent, held onto his seat by just 875 votes, defeating Democrat Steven Arauza.
“This is it. This is the last hurrah for me,” Samson said on Tuesday night. “I've got other things I need to do in my life. I have seven children and 21 grandchildren, and all of them are saying, ‘Grandpa, Dad, that's it.’”
Arauza called Samson to congratulate him on his victory today. He told Aspen Public Radio he’s looking forward to spending more time with his kids, now that his campaign is over.
He also wants to be a resource to anyone in the county who’s thinking about running in the future.
“Because I think there’s some significant barriers to entry for working families and members of the workforce and other residents to get involved, and I’d love to have a part in making it more accessible for people,” he said.
The races for seats on the board have been close for the past few cycles, as Garfield County grows more purple. In 2020, Republican incumbents retained their seats by only a couple hundred votes — Mike Samson among them. He held onto the District 3 seat by only 993 votes. And just two years ago, Republican Tom Jankovsky (District 1) retained his seat by only 344 votes.
Closer to the top of the ticket, however, Garfield County went more for Democrats than Republicans — though the margins were slim there, too.
Kamala Harris won 49.54% of Garfield County’s votes to Donald Trump’s 47.98%, a margin of just 458 votes. For the 3rd Congressional District, voters preferred Democrat Adam Frisch of Aspen to Republican Jeff Hurd of Grand Junction, with Frisch winning 1,108 votes more than Hurd.
On statewide ballot issues, voters overwhelmingly voted to enshrine abortion as a right in Colorado’s constitution, with “yes” on Amendment 79% winning 60% of Garfield County’s vote. The county also voted against a ban on hunting big cats like mountain lions.
Glenwood Springs voters narrowly approved a new sales tax to fund roads and infrastructure, with 68 votes pushing question 2A over the line. Parachute voters rejected a similar tax to fund streets, with 60% voting “no.”
You can view the full election results for Garfield County here. The Garfield County Clerk and Recorder will still need to audit and certify the results of this election.
