James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, elected president of the Colorado Senate

Colorado Senate Democrats on Friday elected Sen. James Coleman of Denver to lead the chamber, replacing outgoing President Steve Fenberg, who leaves office in January.

Coleman, who has been serving as Senate president pro tempore, ran unopposed for the position.

“We’re a family,” Coleman told his caucus before he was elected by acclimation. “We will show the country why Colorado is special and continues to be a model.”

Coleman, one of the more moderate members of the chamber, has stressed the need for bipartisanship, even as Democrats maintained their large majorities in the state legislature in Tuesday’s election.

As a lawmaker, Coleman has long championed racial equity, dating back to his time in the House, where he was first elected in 2016. He leads a number of nonprofits, including FaithBridge Colorado, a K-12 policy advocacy group, and the Black Capital Foundation, which aims to reduce racial wealth gaps by raising money for and investing in Black-owned businesses.

Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, has served as Senate president since 2022, but is term-limited and couldn’t run for reelection this year.

Coleman was reelected on Tuesday to his second four-year term in the Senate. 

As president, Coleman will preside over the Senate, setting the chamber’s tone and handling all bureaucratic decisions. He will also assign bills to committees. 

Democrats are set to have a 23-12 majority in the Senate, the same as they’ve had for the past two years, after they failed to pick up any additional seats and achieve a supermajority in Tuesday’s election. 

Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, had also been running to succeed Fenberg as Senate president. However, she did not pursue the position when given the chance Friday.

“We will face exceptionally difficult budget and policy decisions ahead as a caucus in the next two years, and I no longer wish to spend precious energy navigating the sharp divisions within our caucus to try and lead it,” Gonzales said in a text to the caucus earlier in the week. “I’d rather be of use to my constituents, particularly those at the margins who will be ever more targeted a mere 75 days from now.” 

She added: “I’d hoped to serve as Colorado’s first Latina president, but candidly it’s just not a great week for women of color stepping up to lead. I will also not be seeking a position in leadership, and will instead continue to focus my last two years on the work, both inside and outside the Capitol, to protect and advance dignity and justice for all Coloradans.”

Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, was reelected Friday to his position. In that role, he will continue to have the power to make Democratic committee assignments in the Senate, which will determine the trajectory of legislation.

“The work ahead will require collaboration and shared vision to solve the challenges we face,” Rodriguez told his caucus. He vowed to prioritize unity among Senate Democrats.

Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, was elected assistance majority leader, beating out Sen.-elect Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, for the job.

Cutter replaces Sen. Faith Winter, a Broomfield Democrat, who was found in July to have violated the Colorado Senate’s ethics rules in April when she appeared to be intoxicated when attending a community meeting in Northglenn.

An ethics complaint was filed against Winter, the then-assistant majority leader, in May by the Northglenn City Council for her behavior during an April 3 community hearing in the city about a state plan to open a controversial mental health transitional living facility that could house people convicted of sex offenses.  Winter’s speech was slurred and halting and she seemed to struggle to gather her thoughts.

Northglenn Police Department officers were at the event and encouraged Winter not to drive home when it ended. A day after the meeting, Winter announced that she was seeking medical treatment for substance abuse. She also stepped down as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee.

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Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, was elected Senate president pro tempore to succeed Coleman. Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, was elected the majority whip.

Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, was elected caucus chair, but not before highlights the division among Senate Democrats and the work that needs to be done to repair them. He said there have been examples of “wholly unprofessional and disrespectful behavior.”

“There is much relationship building that needs to be done amongst this group,” he said.

Democrats Sen. Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village and Sen.-elect Judy Amabile of Boulder were elected by the caucus to serve on the Joint Budget Committee. Bridges is returning to the position. Amabile will be joining the panel for the first time after serving as a state representative.

House Republicans on Friday unanimously reelected Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs to lead their caucus. No one ran against her.

“I’ve worked incredibly hard for this caucus because I believe in the cause, and I think it’s incredibly important that we continue to work together to push our conservative agenda forward,” Pugliese said in accepting the nomination.

Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, was also reelected.

Rep. Anthony Hartsook of Parker was elected caucus chair, defeating current chair Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs, 13-6.

Pugliese said she would appoint the caucus’ representative to the Joint Budget Committee later today.

On Thursday, Senate Republicans reelected Minority Leader Paul Lundeen of Monument to another term at the head of their caucus. They tapped Sen. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa as his No. 2, replacing Sen. Bob Gardner, who leaves office in January. Sen. Byron Pelton of Sterling will serve as caucus chair, while Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was reelected to the Joint Budget Committee.

House Democrats rescheduled their leadership elections for Monday because of the winter weather pounding Colorado on Friday and because a few House races remain too close to call.