The Democrats were targeted for their support of strict new gun laws that have drawn both opposition and support since they were passed by a Democratic-controlled state legislature earlier this year, but the opponents had final say in the hard-fought races.
Morse, the now-former senate president, lost the recall by just 343 votes and conceded the election at around 10 p.m. local time. Republican Bernie Herpin will take his place in the Colorado state senate when the legislature convenes in January.
During his concession speech at a Colorado Springs hotel, Morse said he was honored to have served his district.
“We as the Democratic Party will continue to fight,” he said.
His opponents called his defeat a game-changer in terms of American gun control policy.
“The people of Colorado have made history tonight sending a loud and clear message that will reverberate throughout the country and alter the terrain of the gun-control debate,” said Kurt Bardella, a consultant for
the campaigns seeking to recall Morse and fellow Democrat Sen. Angela Giron.
“What happened in Colorado, a purple state, could happen anywhere if the will of the people is ignored and politicians take their cues from New York City or Washington D.C.,” he said in a statement. “At the end of the day, people will not tolerate an imposition of un-checked government over-reach on their lives. The recall was a mechanism of accountability exercised by the people of Colorado.”
Giron’s lost by a wider margin, with 56 percent voting to recall and 43.9 percent to retain. She is replaced by Republican George Rivera.
The results culminated a tumultuous legislative session in which the Democratic majority passed a number of contentious new laws. Foremost were the gun control laws, which limited the size of ammunition magazines and require universal background checks.
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