‘We will show the country why Colorado is special’ – Senate Democrats choose new leader as the House looks ahead to a year of belt-tightening

As the country shifted to the right on election night, Democrats held on to their dominant control of the Colorado statehouse, although they appear likely to fall one vote short of a supermajority in each chamber.

On Friday, Senate Democrats met via Zoom — a change necessitated by the snowstorm over the Front Range — to select new leaders for the upcoming legislative session. House Democrats will meet Monday with the hope that the few open races will happen by then.

Republicans also chose their leaders this week. The top GOP members in each chamber won’t change; Representative Rose Pugliese will continue as minority leader in the House of Representatives, while Senator Paul Lundeen will serve as minority leader in the Senate.

Sen. James Coleman of Denver will become the next Senate president, replacing outgoing term-limited President Steve Fenberg.

Sen. Julie Gonzales had also sought the position, but decided not to officially list her name on Friday. Coleman, who was then running unopposed, previously served as Senate President Pro Temp.

“Thank you for making this race competitive and for pushing me to be my best,” Coleman told Gonzales during the Zoom meeting. “I look forward to continuing to serve with you and for all of you.”

Coleman said he will work hard to ensure caucus members are seen, supported and promoted.

“No one will serve me better than I serve you. We are a family. We will show the country why Colorado is special and continue to be an example,” he said.

Sen. Janet Buckner of Aurora has known Coleman since he was a teenager — her husband was his high school principal — and nominated him for the top position in the Senate.

“James leads with understanding. He leads with collaboration, he leads with humility and a sense of humor,” Buckner said. “I have no doubt how capable and ready he is.”

Coleman won’t officially become Senate president until the start of the next legislative session in January, when the full House can vote on it.

‘My yearbook didn’t say I would ever run for office. “I can’t tell you what it said because it would probably be inappropriate, but there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be here,” Coleman told his colleagues.

Sen. Robert Rodriguez of Denver remains the Senate majority leader. Senator Lisa Cutter will replace Senator Faith Winter as assistant majority leader. Winter, who went into treatment for alcohol addiction earlier this year she tried not to hold on to her leadership position.

Democrats maintained their margin in the Senate, 23-12, just one vote away from a supermajority. During their caucus meeting, they welcomed five new members: Kathy Kipp, Lindsey Daugherty, Judy Amabile, Marc Snyder and Mike Weissman. All five were previously members of the House of Representatives.

Amabile will join the budget committee. Other leadership positions include Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet as Senate Pro Tem., Sen. Nick Hinrichsen as whip and Sen. Dylan Roberts as caucus chairman.

When they return to work, lawmakers will face one overwhelming problem: a much smaller state budget, at about $1 billion.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Bridges, who was re-elected by his caucus to serve on the powerful Joint Budget Committee, said this will be the toughest budget the state has ever seen. since 2020.

“This time it’s not because of a global pandemic. It’s mainly because of this higher Medicaid utilization rates and TABOR. TABOR is the reason why we can’t have fun things this year.”

Bridges noted that at the same time, lawmakers will be looking for $1 billion in cuts. another $350 million for law enforcement.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

In an interview with CPR News, Democratic House Speaker Julie McCluskie said the budget will be the overarching theme of all policy discussions.

“It’s a very different budget environment than what we’ve had in recent years,” she said. “The ARPA dollars are gone. Our one-time state savings are gone. So it really is a moment for us to govern responsibly and with clarity around our priorities.”

ARPA is the American Rescue Plan Act — money for pandemic relief.

The president said her top priority will be protecting education funding. She and House Majority Leader Monica Duran face no leadership challenges and are expected to return for their final two-year term at the helm of the House of Representatives.