I wonder if the all-Republican Board of Douglas County Commissioners sent Democratic Gov. Jared Polis a thank you note last week.

Polis accomplished what looked impossible only a few weeks ago after the Douglas County “home rule” proposal, unilaterally placed on the ballot by the commissioners, was defeated by a margin of 71% to 29%.

Polis made the rejection of Douglas County “home rule” look downright competitive after his poll of Colorado residents said they opposed his own unilateral and widely ridiculed plan to build a pedestrian bridge near the Colorado State Capitol.

Of the 90,000 citizens who responded to the poll, 93.9% said “NO” to the $28 million proposed Polis monument to himself. 3.8% said “yes” while 2.3% said “maybe.” At least the Douglas County Commissioners hit double-digits.

Both Polis and the Douglas County commissioners tried to force their ill-fated proposals upon the public without seeking any real citizen input. They both engaged in inflated rhetoric about why their proposals were so wonderful.

Polis said the unsightly bridge would commemorate the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood in 2026. The Douglas County Commissioners claimed “home rule” would make the county an idyllic oasis of independence from state laws they disagreed with.

Even in the aftermath of embarrassing defeats, Polis and the commissioners continued their escapades of arrogance.

Rather than humbly accepting the definitive will of the voters against his bridge, Polis acted like it was someone else’s stupid idea as he declared he would heroically chain himself to the Capitol plaza to make sure it would not be built. As Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio pointed out to Polis, “Governor, the only person you would chain yourself to is your previous self.”

Douglas County Commissioners essentially declared the voters were just not capable of grasping the wonderful future that “home rule” guaranteed and that they would quickly go back to the ballot to try again. When angry citizens confronted the commissioners at a public meeting, the commissioners were defiant.

Rather than chaining himself to the Capitol plaza, Polis should reimburse Colorado taxpayers the $1.5 million that he already spent on his vanity bridge. Polis is a very wealthy man who spent millions of dollars of his personal fortune to get elected as a member of the Colorado State Board of Education, the U.S. House of Representatives, and as governor.

Given that he will be calling a special legislative session to deal with a $500 million shortfall, that $1.5 million he squandered is not small change.

The 500-member Colorado Republican State Central Committee narrowly elected a former state legislator and retired U.S. Army colonel, Richard Holtorf, as its new vice chair to fill a vacancy.

Holtorf defeated Douglas County conservative activist Mark Hampton who expressly wants to eliminate what he considers disloyal establishment “Republicans in name only” from the party.

To his credit, Holtorf called for the state party to support all Republican candidates and not engage in the politics of exclusion and recrimination of the previous election cycle. If Holtorf can avoid the verbal miscues that at times marred his legislative service, he can be a positive part of the Republican effort in 2026.

Meanwhile, Colorado voters seem to be getting restless after eight years of absolute dominance of state government by Democrats.

There are rumblings in political circles that a private poll shows that voters think Colorado is on the “wrong track” for the first time since Democrats took total control. The “right track/wrong track” question on any given poll of voters is a critical indicator of what voters think of the job incumbent elected officials are doing.

Another public poll showed tremendous frustration with politicians and elected officials which is more bad news for dominant Democrats.

Maybe voters who have been strongly influenced by their opposition to President Donald Trump while electing Democrats are starting to see the damage that Polis and his Democratic legislative majorities are inflicting on the state.

Criminals continue to be coddled by irresponsible Democratic legislators and district attorneys. Colorado’s roads continue to deteriorate while transportation do-gooders push for seldom used bike lanes.

Public school enrollment continues to decline while more parents opt for home schooling in the face of mediocre schools. The economy continues to be strangled by job-killing regulations

The two contestants for the Democratic nomination for governor, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, are obsessed with proving they hate Trump more than the other guy does, while ignoring those fundamental issues of crime, transportation, education and the economy.

If Republicans can stop the self-inflicted damage of arrogance and exclusion and a strong candidate emerges who has an agenda that voters care about, Republicans just might have a shot in 2026 to start turning this state around.

Former Gov. Bill Owens, the only Republican governor to be elected in the past 54 years, was no sure thing when he was elected in 1998, but he had an agenda that mattered to voters.

Democrats seem intent on setting the stage for that kind of Republican

Dick Wadhams is a former Colorado Republican state chairman who managed campaigns for U.S. Sens. Hank Brown and Wayne Allard, and Gov. Bill Owens. He was campaign manager for U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota when Thune unseated Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in 2004.