Colorado election results: Joe Biden wins 2020 state race

Democratic challenger will pick up nine electoral votes

Joe Biden is projected to win the state of Colorado, a key battleground state in the 2020 presidential race.

Although Colorado polls just closed, the Associated Press has projected a win for Mr Biden in the Democratic-leaning state. 

The Democratic challenger will pick up nine electoral votes from the state, moving him one step closer to the White House. 

This win was not a surprise for Mr Biden, as Colorado has trended Democrat since President Donald Trump’s presidential win in 2016. The state went blue for Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

Not only were voters watching Colorado for its presidential race, but the contentious Senate race between Republican incumbent Cory Gardner and Democratic challenger John Hickenlooper. 

It was projected that Mr Hickenlooper would win the US Senate seat over the sitting senator, according to the Associated Press – further proving how Colorado has leaned away from the Republican Party in recent years. 

Mr Gardner narrowly won the 2014 Senate race against then-Senator Mark Udall by boasting an anti-Obama platform. His ties with Mr Trump turned voters away from him and led to the senator losing his seat, as he was considered one of the most vulnerable senators in Congress. 

Polling showed throughout the 2020 election that Mr Biden held a strong lead over the sitting president. 

Mr Biden needed to pick up the state on his path to potentially winning the White House.