With the state’s new legislative session set to begin Jan. 8, Democrats have two open seats to fill in two Senate districts.
The respective district vacancy committees have scheduled elections to be held in early January.
Denver Democrats announced Monday that they will hold a vacancy election on Tuesday, Jan. 7, to choose a replacement for Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat.
Hansen announced he would resign his seat in Senate District 31, effective Jan. 9, the day after the start of the 2025 General Assembly. He accepted the position of CEO of La Plata Electric in Durango.
Seven candidates have announced their intention to run for this seat, depending on the party:
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Matthew Ball, City of Denver Policy Director
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Representative-elect Sean Camacho, who was elected to represent District 6 in November
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Christian “Chris” Chiari, founder of cannabis company 420 Hotels
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Iris Halpern, lawyer and partner at Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC
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Shaneis Malouff, chief of staff of the Auraria Center for Higher Education
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Monica VanBuskirk, formerly with Connect for Health Colorado
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Rep. Steven Woodrow, who was re-elected to his House District 2 seat for a third term in November
Vacancy committees are composed of party officials, such as precinct committee and central committee officials.
“We are committed to a fair and transparent process that reflects the values of Senate District 31 and ensures strong Democratic representation in the Colorado State Senate,” said Denver Democratic Party Chairman James Reyes. “This meeting provides our community with an opportunity to engage with candidates and help shape the future of our district.”
Hansen has served in the General Assembly since 2017. After serving three years in the House, he was selected by a vacancy committee in 2020 to succeed Sen. Lois Court, a Democrat, who was hit by Guillain-Barré syndrome. Hansen was re-elected with more than 80 percent of the vote in November.
The second vacancy committee will take place in Senate District 29, represented by Sen. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, who was also re-elected in November without opposition. Buckner said she would resign Jan. 9 to focus on her health and spend time with her family.
Buckner began her legislative career in the House in 2015 through the vacancy process, following the death of her husband, Rep. John Buckner. She was elected to the State Senate in 2020.
Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, has already announced her intention to run for the seat. An Arapahoe County Democratic Party vacancy committee is scheduled to meet Jan. 6.
A third vacancy committee to fill the seat of Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch, has not yet been announced.
Van Winkle was elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in November and will also resign effective Jan. 9. But he may have to bring forward this resignation. Last Friday, Commissioner Lora Thomas – who Van Winkle would succeed – announced her resignation after what she said was four years of harassment and abuse from fellow commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal. In response, Teal and Laydon said it was “tragic that our censored colleague chose to repeatedly violate our policy manual” and that it is “entirely normal and customary after the November election that boxes move and let the transitions begin.
Van Winkle could be appointed to serve out the final five weeks of her term.
Names mentioned for the seat include former Rep. Kim Ransom of Lone Tree, current Rep. Brandi Bradley of Roxborough Park, former University of Colorado Regent John Carson and former county commissioner candidate Priscilla Rahn .
The wave of vacancies, including two who were just re-elected to their Senate seats, is prompting stronger calls for changes to the vacancy process, which is decided by a small group of party members — and not by the electorate of a constituency. In the 2023-2024 session, 28 legislators won 29 seats (one legislator was chosen twice by the Vacancy Committee for two different seats) at some point in their legislative careers.
said Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib after Buckner announced his resignation that “the growing number of senators and representatives from both parties serving as a result of vacancy selections and not traditional elections should concern every Coloradan, and it certainly concerns me.”
Mourib said Vacancy committees are “small and do not provide the same type of public participation and oversight as a traditional election.”
He added: “In some cases, vacancies have prevented vigorous primary campaigns that allow Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters to choose party nominees without anyone having the advantage of incumbency.
An analysis earlier this year by Colorado Politics showed that just four people made the decision about who will represent a seat in the House or Senate — the average is about 40. That’s for districts of about 40 people . 89,000 voters; The members of the Senate represent approximately 165,000 people.
The 2025-2026 session is expected to begin with at least 20 lawmakers having reached the General Assembly through the vacancy process. Since current or future House lawmakers would have to fight for those Senate seats, that could in turn create more vacancies.