The upcoming legislative session will see a mix of new and familiar faces, including a number of House members who will be moving to the Senate. With nearly two dozen brand-new legislators set to begin their terms in January, here’s a look at the newly-elected officials who will be shaping the state’s policies in 2025. 

Senate

Scott Bright, R-Platteville

Scott Bright is the only new senator who has never served in the state legislature. He won the District 13 seat, formerly held by Sen. Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, defeating Democrat Matt Johnson. Senate District 13 extends from Brighton in the south to Greeley in the north. 

Bright has said his top priorities as a legislator will be addressing education and protecting the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Fun fact: Bright is an avid motorcyclist and has competed in the International Six Days Enduro Finisher race four times. 

Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Judy Amabile won the Senate District 18 seat in a landslide, receiving over 90% of the vote. The district, which encompasses Superior and runs through Boulder up to Niwot, is currently held by Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder. 

Amabile was first elected to the House in 2020 and has been one of the chamber’s top voices on mental health and criminal justice reform, as well as serving on the Business Affairs & Labor, House Appropriations, and House Judiciary Committees. 

Some of her other top priorities as a legislator include gun safety, environmental protection, and abortion rights. She was chosen last week by Senate Democrats to hold the caucus’s second seat on the Joint Budget Committee.

Fun fact: Amabile co-founded, owned, and operated Product Architects, the manufacturer behind Polar Bottle sport water bottles. 

Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Marc Catlin defeated Democrat Cole Buerger of Glenwood Springs by just over 4 percentage points, earning him the Senate District 5 seat formerly held by Sen. Perry Will, who was recently elected to the Garfield County Commission. 

Prior to being elected to the House, Catlin worked for Montrose County as a water rights development coordinator. A legislator for over seven years, he has sponsored nearly 120 pieces of legislation.

Fun fact: Catlin was the host of KUBC’s radio show “Diversions,” where he talked about water, business, and agriculture, for over five years. 

Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Lindsey Daugherty defeated Republican challenger Sam Bindimere and Libertarian Ryan VanGundy in the race for Senate District 19. Daugherty, an attorney, was first elected to the state House in 2020. She has served as the chair of the House Health and Human Services for the past two years and has sponsored legislation supporting former foster youth, establishing the state Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and codifying the right to abortion in Colorado law. 

Fun fact: Daugherty and her husband welcomed their first child, son Theo, in 2023. 

Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Lisa Frizell defeated Democrat Jennifer Brady by over 24 points in the election for Senate District 2, which includes Castle Rock and Parker. The seat was formerly held by Sen. Jim Smallwood, R-Parker, who was term-limited. 

Frizell formerly served as the Douglas County Assessor and was elected to the state legislature in 2022. During her time in the House, Frizell was one of the top experts on property taxes. She served on the House Appropriations, Finance, Business Affairs & Labor, Transportation, and Housing & Local Government Committees, as well as chaired the Legislative Audit Committee. 

Fun fact: Frizell worked at the Douglas County Assessor’s Office for 25 years.

Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Cathy Kipp was elected to serve Senate District 14, which includes southern and eastern Fort Collins. The seat is currently held by Sen. Joann Ginal, D- Fort Collins, who is term-limited. 

A member of the House since 2019, Kipp served as the chair of the Energy and Environment and House Finance Committees this past legislative session. 

Her top priorities as a legislator include public education, housing, the environment, and healthcare. 

Fun fact: Prior to being elected to the legislature, Kipp served on the Poudre School District Board for seven years, including a term as President. 

Rep. Marc Snyder, D-Colorado Springs

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Marc Snyder flipped the seat currently held by Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, defeating Republican Steve VanderWerf. 

Snyder, an attorney, was first elected to the legislature in 2018 and has served on the House Legal Services, Business Affairs & Labor, and Finance Committees. Prior to joining the legislature, he served on a number of boards and committees, including the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Board, the Pikes Peak Council of Governments, the El Paso County Board of Health, and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Commission. 

Fun fact: Snyder served as the mayor of Manitou Springs from 2010-2016. 

Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora

Current Rep. and Senator-elect Mike Weissman received over 63% of the vote in the race for Senate District 28, which encompasses eastern Aurora and is currently held by Sen. Rhonda Fields, D- Aurora, who was term-limited. 

Weissman was first elected to the legislature in 2016 and served as chair of the House Committee on Legal Services and the House Judiciary Committee during the 2024 legislative session. An active member of the Colorado Democratic Party for two decades, Weissman helped direct the party’s voter expansion project in 2016.

As a legislator, Weissman’s top priorities include housing, cost of living, and consumer protection. 

Fun fact: Weissman’s partner, Morgan Carroll, also served in the legislature, including as president, and is a former chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

House

Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver

Cecelia Espenoza won her seat by nearly 60 percentage points on Tuesday, receiving over 80% of the vote in the deeply blue District 4, which encompasses parts of western Denver. She defeated incumbent Rep. Tim Hernandez in the June primary, promising voters a more moderate voice in the legislature. Espenoza, a former immigrant attorney and appellate immigration judge, has been an active member of the Colorado Democratic Party, having sat on its executive committee and chaired its diversity, equity, and inclusion and platform committees.

Fun fact: Espenoza was the first Mexican-American to become an appellate judge for the nation’s highest immigration court. 

Sean Camacho, D-Denver

Colorado Springs native and Air Force veteran Sean Camacho took a nearly 70-point lead against his opponent in the race for District 6, which makes up parts of eastern and southern Denver, which Rep. Elisabeth Epps currently represents. Camacho defeated Epps in the June primary and received endorsements from top Colorado Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Senate President Steve Fenberg, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie. 

Camacho is an attorney, has volunteered for the Denver Democrats, and says his top priority as a legislator will be affordable housing. He is also among the House Democrats expected to vie for the seat held by Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver, who is moving to Durango to take a position as CEO of LaPlata Electric.

Fun fact: Camacho was registered as a Republican until 2017. He became a registered Democrat in 2019. 

Lindsay Gilchrist, D-Denver

Denver native Lindsay Gilchrist secured a victory in House District 8 on Tuesday, defeating Republican Philip Borrelli by over 75 points to win the seat currently held by Rep. Leslie Herod, a term-limited Democrat. Like Herod, Gilchrist is a member of the LGBTQ community and previously worked in the office of the late former Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-MA, as well as on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health as an advisor. 

She owns a company, Gilchrist and Company, which specializes in training and equipping new prosecutors on criminal justice reform.

Fun fact: After college, Gilchrist volunteered with an organization in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

Rebecca Keltie, R-Colorado Springs

Military veteran Rebecca Keltie defeated incumbent Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, by just seven votes to flip the House District 16 seat, which includes the Colorado Springs neighborhoods of Knob Hill and Roswell. The race is headed for an automatic recount.

Keltie has worked for the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol and Protection, and state and local law enforcement with a focus on human and drug trafficking. She also serves on the Colorado State University Extension Advisory Board as a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math expert and volunteers for organizations like the D11 Achievement Alliance and Salvation Army. 

Fun fact: Keltie is a distant relative of George Ross, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and relative by marriage to Betsy Ross, the creator of the American flag. 

Amy Paschal, D-Colorado Springs

Former software engineer Amy Paschal defeated opponent James Boelens, Jr. by seven points in the race for House District 18, which encompasses western Colorado Springs and is currently held by Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder. 

Paschal says she became involved in politics after she and her husband were hit by a car in 2014 and became “all too familiar with the dysfunctional and predatory nature of our insurance system.” She has since served as an election judge, precinct organizer, and vice chair of the Colorado Democratic Party. 

Fun fact: Paschal grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has lived in the Colorado Springs area for nearly 20 years. 

Dan Woog, R-Frederick 

Former legislator Dan Woog beat Democrat Jillaire McMillan by just 123 votes to flip the purple House District 19, which includes Erie, Dacono, Frederick, Firestone, and Del Camino. The seat is currently held by Rep. Jennifer Parenti, D- Erie, who dropped out of her reelection campaign over the summer. 

Woog previously served as a member of the state legislator from 2020-2022, where he sat on the Energy & Environment and State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committees. He also served two terms as a trustee for the Town of Erie from 2013 to 2020, and is currently the President of the Aspen Ridge School Building Corporation. His top legislative priorities include cost of living, public safety, and clean energy. 

Fun fact: both of Woog’s grandfathers served in World War Two; one overseas and one helping engineer a structure for the atom bomb uranium containment. 

Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colorado Springs

Air Force veteran and attorney Jarvis Caldwell secured his seat representing House District 20, which encompasses northern Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake, by over 42 percentage points against Democrat Arik Dougherty. 

Caldwell previously worked as a legislative aide for former state Rep. Tim Geitner and served as a bonus member of the El Paso GOP’s executive committee. His top legislative priorities include education, Second Amendment rights, and protecting TABOR. 

Fun fact: Caldwell formerly served as the communications director for the Colorado House Republicans, hired just one month before the unexpected death of House Minority Leader Hugh McKean of Loveland.

Lisa Feret, D-Arvada

Arvada city councilmember Lisa Feret defeated Republican Gwen Henderson by just over six percentage points in the race for current Rep. Lindsey Daugherty’s seat in House District 24. 

Feret served as a military police officer before becoming a social worker with the NGO Team Rubicon. She helped run a refugee shelter in Denver for refugees from Venezuela, and currently works for the state focusing on Medicaid policy and long-term housing solutions. 

Fun fact: In 2021, Feret helped raise over $70,000 to help Coloradans affected by the Marshall Fire. 

Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood

In District 30, Lakewood city council member Rebekah Stewart defeated Republican Ramey Johnson, securing the spot of current Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Chris DeGruy Kennedy, D-Lakewood, who was term-limited. 

Stewart, a therapist, says she plans to focus on affordable housing, mental health, and on fighting climate change as a legislator. 

Fun fact: Stewart started a choir for stroke survivors in 2018 and is a music therapist.

Jacque Phillips, D-Thornton

Attorney Jacque Phillips won her election for House District 31, which includes eastern Thornton, by over 13. She will be replacing Rep. Julia Marvin, whom she defeated in the June primary.

Phillips received her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado and a law degree from the University of Denver. 

Phillips says her top priorities will include housing, public safety, the economy, and reproductive freedom. 

Fun fact: Phillips served on Thornton City Council for seven years. 

Michael Carter, D-Aurora

Attorney Michael Carter defeated Republican Eric Mulder by over 40 percentage points in the race for eastern Aurora’s House District 36, currently held by Rep. Mike Weissman, who was term-limited and will now serve in the Senate. 

Carter, an Army veteran, received his bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and Political Science from the University of New Mexico and a law degree from University of Denver. 

His top priorities include education and affordable housing.

Fun fact: Carter was elected to the Aurora Public Schools Board in 2021. 

Gretchen Rydin, D-Littleton

Social worker Gretchen Rydin defeated Republican Jeffrey Patty by just over nine percentage points on Tuesday, securing the seat of current Rep. David Ortiz, D- Littleton. 

Rydin currently serves on the Littleton City Council, including a two-year stint as the city’s Mayor Pro Tempore. She received her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and her Master’s in Social Work from Howard University. Her campaign received endorsements from notable Colorado Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet

Fun fact: A violinist and violist, Rydin is a member of the Denver Pops Orchestra. 

Max Brooks, R-Castle Rock

Castle Rock Town Council member Max Brooks defeated Democrat Chad Cox by nearly 25 percentage points in the Election for House District 45, currently represented by Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, who left the House to run successfully for the state Senate. 

Prior to serving on Town Council, Brooks served as chairman of the Castle Rock Planning Commission and vice chair of the Design Review Board and as a member of the Castle Rock Water Commission. 

Fun fact: Brooks currently serves as the emcee of the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo parade. 

Carlos Barron, R-Fort Lupton

Carlos Barron ran unopposed in the House District 48 race, replacing current Rep. Gabe Evans, R- Fort Lupton, who left the legislature to run for Congress. (Evans won his race in the 8th Congressional District). House District 48 extends from Brighton in the south up to eastern Greeley and Evans to the north. 

Barron is a business owner and acts as the general manager and partner of his family’s oil and gas company. He has served on the City of Fort Lupton’s Planning Commission, and is currently a member of the Fort Lupton City Council. His top priorities include Second Amendment protection and parental rights. 

Fun fact: Barron was born in Mexico but moved to Fort Lupton when he was a year old. 

Lesley Smith, D-Boulder 

University of Colorado Regent at Large Lesley Smith defeated Republican Steve Ferrante by over 35 percentage points to secure the House District 49 seat currently held by Rep. and Senator-elect Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. The district extends from Idaho Springs in the south through Boulder and Estes Park up to the Wyoming border. 

Smith, a former CU professor, previously served on the Boulder Valley School Board and Boulder’s Water Resources Advisory Board, and was associate director of education and outreach for CU Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences, the university’s largest research institution. 

Fun fact: Smith was the first woman aquanaut in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s underwater research habitat, Aquarius. 

Ryan Gonzalez, R-Fort Lupton

Ryan Gonzalez defeated incumbent Rep. Mary Young, D- Greeley, by just over two percentage points to flip the House District 50 seat. Young previously defeated Gonzalez in the 2022 election by roughly the same margins.  

Gonzalez received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and participated in the Leadership Program of the Rockies. He received endorsements from high-profile Colorado Republicans including former Governor Bill Owens, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R Brighton, and House Minority Leader Rep. Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs. 

Fun fact: Gonzalez is a first-generation American; his parents came to the United States from Mexico. 

Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins 

Yara Zokaie defeated Steve Yurash of the Colorado Center Party by over 25 percentage points in the House District 52 election, winning the seat of current Rep. and Senator-elect Cathy Kipp. 

Zokaie is a tax lawyer and Chief Deputy Assessor for Larimer County. She helped found Latino Coalition, a nonprofit that provides resources for marginalized communities. Her priorities include education, abortion rights, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform. She received endorsements from notable Colorado Democrats Attorney General Phil Weiser, State Treasurer Dave Young, and Sen. Janice Marchman, D- Loveland, as well as organizations like Conservation Colorado and the National Association of Social Workers. 

Fun fact: Zokaie is the first Iranian-American to hold public office in Colorado.

Chris Richardson, R-Elizabeth

Chris Richardson defeated Democrat Alessandra Navetta by over 50 percentage points in the House District 56 race, receiving over 75% of the vote. The district currently represented by Rep. Rod Bockenfeld, R-Watkins, includes eastern Colorado Springs, parts of Castle Rock and Centennial, and extends to Burlington to the east.

An Army veteran, has served on the Elizabeth School Board and is currently in his second term as an Elbert County Commissioner. He also serves on the state’s Commission on Property Taxation.

Fun fact: Richardson grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Larry Don Suckla, R-Cortez

Rancher Larry Don Suckla won the race for House District 58 against former Rep. Kathleen Curry by just under 10 percentage points and will take the seat over from current Rep. and Senator-elect Marc Catlin, R- Montrose. Suckla is a retired firefighter and emergency medical technician who serves on the Lewis-Arriola Volunteer Fire Department. His top legislative priorities include school choice, defending the Second Amendment, and maintaining water rights. 

Fun fact: In his free time, Suckla is an auctioneer.

Katie Stewart, D-Durango

Democrat Katie Stewart defeated Republican Clark Craig by just over two percentage points in the House District 59 election. She will take over the seat from Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, who was term-limited. House District 59 makes up the southwestern corner of the state, including Durango, Cortez and Silverton.

Stewart is a former emergency medical technician and is currently in her second term as a member of the Durango R- Board of Education. Besides education, her top legislative priorities include housing, combatting climate change, and healthcare access for rural communities. 

Fun fact: Stewart is a fourth-generation Durangoan. 

Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan

Republican Dusty Johnson ran unopposed for the House District 63 seat, which is currently held by Rep. Richard Holtorf, R- Akron, who left the legislature to run for Congress. Johnson, a Fort Morgan native, received her bachelor’s degree in politics from Regis University and formerly served as a legislative staffer and aide for a U.S. congressman and three state senators, as well as serving as the Morgan County Republican Party chair. She received endorsements from notable Colorado Republicans, including state Sen. Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells and state Rep and Senator-elect Lisa Frizell of Castle Rock, and and from organizations like the Colorado Contractors Association and the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police.  

Fun fact: Johnson was recognized as one of the Logan & Morgan County 10 under 40 recipients in 2022. She also came up with the “Peltonia” idea when she served as a legislative aide to Sens. Byron Pelton of Sterling and Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells, who are cousins. 

Q&A with Rod & Byron Pelton | The General Assembly's 'Peltonia' cousins

Lori Garcia Sander, R- Eaton

Republican Lori Garcia Sander defeated challenger Will Walters by over 25 percentage points in the race for House District 65, currently held by Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington. Lynch ran Congress this year. 

Born and raised in LaSalle, Colorado, Garcia Sander is a public school teacher and former school administrator. Apart from education, her top legislative priorities include the economy and public safety. She was endorsed by notable Colorado Republicans, including state Sens. Barbara Kirmeyer of Brighton and Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud, as well as organizations like the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, and the Colorado Hospital Association. 

Fun fact: Garcia Sander and her husband have a 198-acre apple orchard and sell their apples at local farmer’s markets during good harvest years.