close
close

CO Democratic Party Chairman Calls for Reforms After State Senator Resigns

Posted on by L. Dreeye
CO Democratic Party Chairman Calls for Reforms After State Senator Resigns

DENVER — The chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party issued a statement calling for reforms to the process for filling vacancies after two Democratic state senators resigned Thursday.

Democratic Sens. Janet Buckner and Chris Hansen submitted their resignations just weeks after winning re-election in their districts. The two will vacate their Senate seats on Jan. 9, 2025, the day after the start of the next legislative session.

According to our partners at The Denver Post, Buckner has served in the Legislature since 2015, when she was chosen to replace her husband, state Rep. John Buckner, after his death. She was first elected to the Senate in 2020.

Buckner won her re-election to State Senate District 29, which includes Arapahoe County, on Nov. 5 unopposed. In a statement to The Denver Post, the state senator said that after a “challenging year for herself,” she must prioritize her family and health.

Hansen served two full terms in the state House of Representatives before moving to the Senate in early 2020 through the Vacancies Committee, The Denver Post reported. He won re-election to State Senate District 31, which includes central and eastern Denver, with a supermajority of 84% of the vote against his opponent, Libertarian David Aitken.

Durango-based La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) announced last week that Hansen will become its next chief executive officer (CEO).

With two state senators retiring at the start of the next legislative session, new senators will be selected by vacancies committees and will serve two years. Each district will then hold a general election in 2026 to fill the remaining two years of the term.

The Colorado Democratic Party said the District 31 Vacancies Committee will meet in early January. The party said the District 29 Vacancies Committee will announce its meeting date “as soon as possible.”

At this time last year, nearly a quarter of the General Assembly’s 100 members had been appointed through the vacancies committee at some point in their legislative careers, according to The Denver Post. In a statement Thursday, Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib criticized the vacancy process, saying the growing number of politicians holding office through such a process “should concern every Coloradan.”

“Regardless of the high standards we hold ourselves to ensure that the vacancy committee process is as inclusive as the law allows, the fact remains that vacancy committees are small and do not provide the same public participation and oversight as traditional elections.” – said Murib.

Murib concluded his statement by saying that the Colorado Democratic Party is “committed to maintaining a neutral process for these vacancy committees and will strive to ensure that each candidate is treated fairly and is forced to actively compete for the right to serve.”

Full statement:

“We thank Senator Hansen and Senator Buckner for their exemplary leadership in lowering the cost of living, increasing funding for public schools and caring for our teachers, and for helping Colorado create good-paying jobs in the renewable energy economy. The staff is forever grateful for such valuable and dedicated service. Janet and Chris are passionate and wonderful leaders who will be missed.

The Democratic Party places a high value on transparency, accountability and public access to the process of filling vacancies, and I am proud of the high standards we hold ourselves to in order to conduct a fair process in accordance with the law. The men who have come into office through our process are qualified and valuable representatives of their districts, as evidenced by the numerous re-elections they have enjoyed.

However, the growing number of senators and representatives of both parties holding office through committee selection of vacancies rather than traditional elections should concern every Coloradan, and it certainly concerns me. Despite the high standards we hold ourselves to ensure that the vacancy committee process is as inclusive as the law allows, the fact remains that vacancy committees are small and do not provide the same public participation and oversight as traditional elections. In some cases, the vacancies precede vigorous primary campaigns that allow Democrats, Republicans and independent voters to choose party candidates without any one having incumbency advantage.

Colorado law and our state’s unique and exorbitant budget constraints pose real logistical challenges to reform, including cost and the likelihood that counties will remain unrepresented for months. For this reason, we have been hesitant to talk about moving to early elections or reforming this process. But now is the time to think about how to improve this process.

Speculation that lawmakers are planning their resignations to handpick their replacements or climb the ladder of elected office is also a growing concern among the public. While we have worked hard to ensure this never happens, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to build trust in our democracy by recognizing and proactively addressing this problem.

The Colorado Democratic Party is committed to a neutral process for these vacancy committees and will strive to ensure that each candidate is treated fairly and actively competes for the right to serve.”

Coloradans are making a difference | Denver7 featured videos

Denver7 strives to make a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and keeping our promises. See this work in action in the video above.