By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
Yazmin Navarro appears to have wrestled the 8th District seat on the State Board of Education away from Rhonda Solis, and with it loosened the Democratic Party’s grasp on the board.
The State Board of Education is comprised of one elected member from each U.S. House district in Colorado — there are eight — and one at-large seat. Republicans entered Election Night needing to defend two of the three seats it held and flip the 8th District seat. The 2nd District seat was uncontested by Republicans.
Navarro, who ran on a platform of restoring education as a keystone in the success of young Coloradans, earned 51.0% of the 233,696 votes cast in the 8th District, defeating Democrat Rhonda Solis who had 49.0%, according to results Wednesday, Nov. 6, with 72% of ballots reported. Navarro carried 55.8% of the vote in Larimer County and 60.3% in Weld County. Solis earned 53.9% of the vote in Adams County, making the seat largely a contest between Adams and Weld County.
In run for state board of education, Yazmin Navarro calls for more voter interaction, education and assistance
In the 2nd District, Democrat Kathy Gebhardt was unopposed in a bid to follow Angelika Schroeder in the seat. She earned 239,749 votes.
In the 3rd District, Republican Sherri Wright earned 56.1% of the 351,134 votes cast to defeat Democrat challenger Ellen Angeles with 43.9% and return to the State Board of Education.
In another decisive win, Kristi Burton Brown, the former chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party, earned 59.9% of the 381,521 votes cast in her first bid at the board, defeating Krista Holtzmann with 40.1%. Burton Brown will follow Republican Debora Scheffel in the seat.
All results are unofficial until certified.