Senate Democrats made significant leadership changes on Friday, electing Sen. James Rashad Coleman as the new Senate president, making him only the second Black Senate president in Colorado history. Sen. Robert Rodriguez will continue as majority leader, and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet was appointed as president pro tempore after winning her election to the Senate District 21 seat. The party also elected Sen. Lisa Cutter as assistant majority leader. Furthermore, Sen. Nick Hinrichsen was named majority whip, while Sen. Dylan Roberts was selected as the new caucus chair. Sen. Jeff Bridges will continue on the Joint Budget Committee, with Sen. Judy Amabile joining as a new member. The House Republicans elected Rep. Rick Taggart to the JBC.
The election process took place via Zoom due to a snowstorm, resulting in the same Senate makeup with 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans. Eight new members will join the Senate in 2025, including Lindsey Daugherty, Lisa Frizell, Scott Bright, Marc Catlin, Cathy Kipp, Marc Snyder, Mike Weissman, and Judy Amabile.
The Republican vacancy committee will select a ninth new member to replace Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, who was elected to the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners. House Democrats postponed their leadership election to Monday. Overall, the new leadership within the Senate Democrats signals a shift towards more progressive representatives in key positions within the caucus.
Source
Photo credit denvergazette.com
