Amid a rightward shift in the U.S. presidential race in much of the country on election night, a handful of Colorado’s most reliably blue rural resort areas followed suit — though to a lesser degree. 

In Pitkin, Eagle and Summit counties — home to several affluent ski towns historically seen as Democratic strongholds — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slightly improved on his 2020 General Election numbers. 

While Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately won those counties by wide margins, she underperformed President Joe Biden’s 2020 numbers, according to unofficial results. 

In Pitkin County, which includes the city of Aspen, Harris held a 46-percentage-point lead over Trump as of Wednesday. In 2020, Biden won the county by 52 percentage points, representing a 6-point shift toward Trump in 2024. 

In Eagle County, which includes Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Resort, Harris’s lead was 25 percentage points over Trump. In 2020, Biden beat Trump with a 30-point lead, representing a 5-point improvement for Trump in 2024. 

And in Summit County, which includes four ski areas and the towns of Breckenridge and Frisco, Harris led with a 37-point-lead compared to Biden’s 39-point-lead making for a 2-point shift for Trump. 

At the same time, some rural counties where the margins between Democrats and Republicans have been tighter saw a swing toward Democrats. Chaffee County, home to Buena Vista and Salida, saw a 7-point shift toward Harris, who won the county. To the north, deep-red Jackson County saw a 2.5-point swing toward the Democratic nominee, though Trump still won handily. 

Routt County, home to Steamboat Springs, swung 3 points to Harris compared to Biden. 

Statewide, Harris maintained an 11-percentage-point lead over Trump as of midday Wednesday, Nov. 6. That represents a slight underperformance compared to Biden, who won the state by 13 points.

Voter turnout in Colorado was down this year compared to 2020. As of midday Wednesday, just over 2.6 million ballots had been recorded. In 2020, total turnout approached nearly 3.3 million. 

Still, Colorado voters blunted much of the Trump surge that appeared across the U.S., particularly in the Midwest, Great Plains and South. An analysis from the New York Times found that, of the counties with nearly complete results as of early Wednesday, more than 90% shifted in favor of Trump this year compared to 2020. 

Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election Wednesday after flipping the battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.