The boundaries of state house district 38 form a horizontal hatchet shape that covers Columbine Valley, Bow Mar, and Littleton and narrows to cover Greenwood Village between E. Belleview Avenue and E. Orchard Road east past Interstate 25.
The district's incumbent democrat is
Joe Rice who faces Republican
Dave Kerber.
Republican Dave Kerber said he voted early this morning at Koelbel Library and there were no long lines.
On election day he said he was hanging out calling well wishers and looking forward to a visit from his daughter and her husband before they head out to evening activities in Littleton. Kerber said he would unite with other Republicans at the Marriott
Lone Tree to watch election results.
Kerber said his campaign was all about knocking on doors.
"We knocked on more than 10,000 doors this summer and when you consider gas was at $4 a gallon, I thought why should I ask someone to spend that money to come see me. So I went to them."
Kerber is now serving his third term on the Greenwood Village city council. A businessman and former lawyer he said he favors limited government.
Incumbent Joe Rice voted by mail-in ballot a couple of weeks ago. According to his campaign manager
Niki Van Veen so did 60 percent of house district 38.
VanVeen said Rice started election morning sign waving at couple of intersections and visited a few polling places to check out lines.
Van Veen said they took lunch to poll watchers at seven polling places before putting thank you notes on yard signs throughout the district.
"Joe feels like he has run a good campaign. We started in May and walked to about 18,000 houses, did a lot of mailing, phone calls. He had a strong opponent," said Van Veen.
Rice will join well wishers at the Mill Restaurant in Littleton. Candidate
Linda Newell also will be there to watch results.
The day after // 9:47 a.m. Nov. 5Dave Kerber said he closed up shop about 11:30 p.m. Nov. 4 and called and left a congratulatory message for opponent Joe Rice.
"It was going against us. I was hanging out with a sad group of people. However, even in defeat I had all these people around me doing what they can to support me and I wouldn't trade that. I would prefer a win, but I have a life to go back to and a business."
Kerber said, "Your character isn't tested only if you win, it's tested as much or more if you don't win. Now I have to put this behind me and be positive."
Final numbers still elusive, but Rice is confident // 10:31 p.m.
Joe Rice's campaign manager Nikki Van Veen said they are watching TV news and checking the Arapahoe County Web site but updates haven't changed much. According to the Arapahoe County Web site Kerber has 14,095 to Rice's 16,830. Kerber said "The news is coming in slow, I will wait til the people of District 38 have spoken."
Still too close to call // 9:47 p.m.
With Arapahoe County results showing Rice with 16,830 votes and Dave Kerber with 14,095, Rice's campaign manager Niki Van Veen said they weren't comfortable calling anything. She said, "In 2006 Joe Rice won the race by 1,707 votes."
Some of the party there is breaking up and she says goodbye to supporters, but there is still a lot of noise. They aren' t finished yet.