COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

Election Recount Updates
 
Exactly one month after Election Day, it was announced last night that official recounts have been completed in the two closest state House races. As a reminder, House Republicans needed to gain three seats to avoid at least two more years of a Democrat supermajority. So, avoiding a supermajority hinged on Republicans winning these two races.
 
In House District 19, Dan Woog (R) defeated Jillaire McMillan (D) by a total of 110 votes after the recount was completed. Woog gained one more vote in the recount than he had previously, and McMillan did not receive any additional votes.
 
In House District 16, Rebecca Keltie (R) defeated incumbent Stephanie Vigil (D) by a razor thin margin of three votes after the recount. Before the recount, Keltie had a six vote lead ahead of Vigil. According to a statement from Vigil, once the recount was conducted, she had gained six more votes, which would put both candidates in a tie. The canvass board had determined that three of the votes Vigil had gained were invalid, therefore, Keltie won.
 
Vigil has indicated that she intends to explore legal remedies for investigating possible variables that would return the election to a tie. That being said, Vigil has clarified to local news outlets that she doesn’t believe any foul play or fraud was involved in the situation.
 
Senator Jaquez Lewis Barred from State Paid Staff
 
According to an article released by the Colorado Sun earlier this week, two more former aides of Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis filed workplace misconduct complaints. The complaints allege that Jaquez Lewis pressured her aides to do yard work and bartend at a party at her house over the summer. The complaints also include copies of checks used to pay for these services from Jaquez Lewis’ campaign account but were never reported on Colorado’s campaign finance website. Colorado candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds for “personal purposes”.
 
As a result, outgoing Senate President Fenberg, Majority Leader Rodriguez, and incoming Senate President Coleman issued a letter via email to Jaquez Lewis, prohibiting her from having any state paid staff for the foreseeable future. Restricting a legislator from having staff that’s paid for by the state is highly unusual, and reflects the seriousness of the situation. Jaquez Lewis also received similar complaints from former staff earlier this year, including refusal to pay her staff.  
 
Joint Budget Committee Updates
 
The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) is in full swing, and has been meeting every week to hear briefings on spending across departments. The overall tone of JBC meetings has been more stressful than previous years given the $900 million deficit the state is facing. The Governor’s proposal identified about $640 million in potential cuts to programs across the spectrum, but more will have to be identified to pass a balanced budget. Notably, the JBC continues to be critical of Governor Polis’ proposed budget cuts across the board. However, members have indicated several times on and off the record that this will be a tough year, and everything is on the table for potential cuts that could help balance the state’s budget. 
 
Committee Assignment Updates
 
We expect committee assignments to be announced by all four caucuses in the next couple weeks. With a combined 30 new members in the House and Senate, it’s likely there will be some changes. Because Republicans gained three seats in the House, there’s a possibility more Republicans could be added to some House committees and slightly narrow the Democrat-Republican margin. However, it’s unclear right now whether or not that happens. CLS will send out an update on committee assignments when they’re released. We will also send out updates as vacancy committees meet to select the three new senators in the seats to be vacated by Sens. Hansen, Buckner and Van Winkle and any news on House seats as some house members have indicated they are running for the open seats.
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