Colorado’s legislative session is over, and for many lawmakers that means the 2024 campaign season has begun.
Seven state Senate and 18 state House primaries will take place June 25. In many districts, whoever wins the primary will also win in November, because the voters there skew heavily toward one party or the other.
Seven incumbents are being challenged in primary contests. Two of the most progressive House Democrats face more moderate opponents, while two GOP state Senators face challenges from their right.
Here’s a look at the contests worth paying close attention to:
Five House incumbents face challengers
Among the 18 primaries for state House, one Republican and four Democratic incumbents face challengers.
Those contests reflect the deep ideological differences in each caucus. And the results of each of the primaries are likely to decide the general election.
The most closely watched House primary will be in House District 6 in Denver, where Rep. Elisabeth Epps, a criminal justice activist who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and is one of the most liberal members of the legislature, faces attorney Sean Camacho.
The House speaker reprimanded Epps in January for her conduct during a November special session, and she didn’t attend House floor work in person for the first 45 days of the lawmaking term this year. Epps has the support of many progressives for her work on criminal justice reform and unsuccessful efforts to restrict access to guns, but she also frequently votes against her party.
Camacho is a former Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2022, failing to make the primary ballot. He’s been endorsed by a number of prominent Democrats, including Attorney General Phil Weiser, House Majority Leader Monica Duran and Senate President Steve Fenberg. His website espouses typically liberal Democratic policy positions, including support for rent stabilization, state investment in renewable energy and expanding the state’s pre-K program to provide more access to low-income families.
Epps raised about $16,000 between Jan. 1 and May 1, and ended the period with $47,529. Camacho raised $58,000 during the first four months of the year and had $65,000 in his campaign’s account May 1 after spending $54,500 during the same period.
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The other top House primaries:
- Rep. Tim Hernández, a former Denver Public Schools teacher, faces former federal immigration judge Cecelia Espenoza in House District 4 after defeating her in a vacancy committee election last year. Like Epps, he’s a Democratic socialist and was criticized for his social media posts and appearance at a rally in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel in October. But he successfully led an effort to get House approval for a ban on so-called assault weapons, though it died in the Senate. Espenoza has angered some in her district because an anti-trans activist held a fundraiser for her, although her website expresses support for the LGBTQIA community. She’s considered a more moderate candidate than Hernández.
- Rep. Junie Joseph faces educator Tina Mueh in Boulder’s House District 10. Joseph boasts endorsements from Gov. Jared Polis and several House members, while Mueh has endorsements from several current and former Boulder politicians. Some have endorsed both candidates.
- Rep. Julia Marvin faces Jacqueline “Jacque” Phillips in Adams County’s House District 31 after defeating Phillips in a vacancy committee bid earlier this year. Both formerly served on Thornton City Council. Phillips has significantly outraised Marvin this far.
- Republican Rep. Mary Bradfield faces two challengers in House District 21 in Colorado Springs: former educator Jan Koester and businessman Bill Garlington. Bradfield has outraised and outspent both of them after petitioning on to the ballot.
The most expensive state House primary thus far is in House District 30, where a pair of Democrats are battling in the Jefferson County district. Lakewood City Councilwoman Rebekah Stewart had raised $112,000 through May 1 and had $78,000 in her campaign’s account.
Health care activist Kyra deGruy Kennedy raised nearly $86,000 and had about $34,000 left. The two are vying to replace Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, who is term-limited and married to Kyra deGruy Kennedy.
Here’s a look at fundraising for the House primary contestants through May 1:
Two GOP senators face challengers, Dems vie for open seats
Republican Sens. Larry Liston of Colorado Springs and Barbara Kirkmeyer of Brighton face primary challengers this year, but both have major financial advantages over their opponents.
The races are interesting because they highlight internal GOP strife as the party tears itself apart over conservative purity tests.
In Senate District 10, Liston faces Rex Tonkins, husband of El Paso County GOP chairwoman Vickie Tonkins, and David Stiver, a business owner tried unsuccessfully to make the primary ballot in the district in 2020. Both Tonkins and Stiver were nominated via the district’s GOP nominating assembly, while Liston gathered signatures to make the ballot.
Tonkins and Stiver are pitching themselves as more conservative alternatives to Liston. Tonkins’ website emphasizes protecting children and emphasizes “parental rights,” while Stiver brands himself as the “RIGHT” choice in the contest.
Liston has an 83% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, and a 64% rating in 2023 from the Colorado Union of Taxpayers. But like other El Paso County Republicans, he’s clashed with the local party leadership. Last year, he accused Rex Tonkins of harassment at a party meeting, but a jury acquitted Tonkins. The state GOP censured Liston calling the complaint against Tonkins “unwarranted” and “inappropriate.”
Liston had nearly $56,000 in campaign cash May 1, while Stiver had about $5,000 and Tonkins had $1,200. The Senate District 10 Republican primary winner will face Democratic candidate Michelle Maksimowicz, who calls herself an education specialist, in the heavily GOP district.
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In Senate District 23, Kirkmeyer, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, faces construction project manager Natalie Abshier of Mead, who ran unsuccessfully in 2021 for the St. Vrain Valley School Board. Kirkmeyer had more than $65,000 in the bank May 1, while Abshier had $100.
Kirkmeyer is among the most influential Republicans at the state Capitol, often working closely with Democrats to craft the annual state budget. She was a key negotiator in the property tax relief bill negotiated in the final days of the legislative session. But she has also been a consistent critic of Polis, using her role on the budget panel to highlight what she views as excessive spending and administrative bloat.
There is no Democratic candidate in Senate District 23, nor any unaffiliated or third-party candidates. That means whoever wins the Republican primary will be the de facto winner in November.
Three Democratic Senate primaries feature current House members:
- State Rep. Judy Amabile faces education consultant Jovita Schiffer in the heavily Democratic Senate District 18 in Boulder, where Senate President Steve Fenberg is term-limited.
- State Rep. Lindsey Daugherty faces Westminster City Councilman Obi Ezeadi in Senate District 19. Sen. Rachel Zenzinger of Arvada is term-limited in the Jefferson County district, which leans toward Democrats by an estimated 9 percentage points.
- State Rep. Mike Weissman faces attorney Idris Keith in Senate District 28, a Democratic stronghold based in Aurora where Sen. Rhonda Fields is term-limited.
Here’s a look at fundraising for the Senate primary contestants through May 1:
Other legislative primaries to watch
Here are some other races we’ll be keeping tabs on:
- El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf faces former teacher Adriana Cuva in the GOP primary in Senate District 12 in Colorado Springs, where Republican Sen. Bob Gardner is term-limited. The winner will face Democratic state Rep. Marc Snyder in the tossup district.
- State Rep. Lisa Frizell faces technology executive Timothy Arvidson in the Republican primary in Senate District 2 in Douglas County. The district is firmly Republican and it’s currently represented by term-limited Republican Sen. Jim Smallwood.
- Youth minister Bill Jack, who lost to Frizell in the 2022 primary, faces Castle Rock Town Council Member Max Brooks in the GOP primary in House District 45 in Douglas County.
- Former school administrator Lori Garcia Sander faces Weld County Councilman Trent Leisy for the Republican nomination in House District 65. State Rep. Mike Lynch is leaving the seat to run in the 4th Congressional District race. Leisy was originally running to represent the 4th District, too, but opted to seek the state House seat instead.
Click here for a full list of legislative candidates.
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