FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DFER-Colorado Celebrates Re-Election of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet & Electoral Victories for Deep Bench of Democratic Education Champions
Denver, CO – Despite the disappointing results in the presidential election, Democrats for Education Reform-Colorado (DFER-CO) is proud to celebrate a number of victories for progressive, reform-minded Democrats up and down the ballot in Colorado. From the United States Senate, to an increased majority in the State House and returning champions to the State Senate, and a State Board of Education race in CD6 that remains too close to call, DFER is proud to have supported nearly 30 Democratic candidates in this election cycle.
Longtime DFER champion and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet won re-election and another six-year term to continue advocating for the best interests of students in Colorado and across the country.
“Our students and families know no greater ally than Senator Bennet. His leadership has been critical to advancing key priorities like raising standards for our students and protecting critical accountability measures in the re-authorization of our national education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),” said Jen Walmer, DFER-Colorado State Director. “Senator Bennet knows that a child’s zip code should not determine their destiny – and he has dedicated his career to fighting for the world-class public education and brighter future that every child deserves.”
At the state level, key leaders in the Colorado House and Senate were successfully elected and re-elected to continue advancing progressive policies that are working for our students.
During the primaries, DFER-Colorado enjoyed victories in 9 of 9 Democratic races this June, including: Jeff Bridges, Chris Hansen, James Coleman, Leslie Herod, Edie Hooton, and Dominique Jackson in the House, as well as Rhonda Fields, Lois Court, and Angela Williams in the Senate. All nine candidates will join the legislature in January.
DFER is also proud to have helped protect incumbent Reps. Susan Lontine, Alec Garnett, Paul Rosenthal, Pete Lee, Brittany Pettersen, Tracy Kraft-Tharp, Janet Buckner, Dave Young, and Millie Hamner, as well as former representatives and now Senators-elect Dominick Moreno, Rhonda Fields, Lois Court, and Angela Williams.
“In particular, we celebrate hard-fought swing-seat victories for Representative-elect Jeff Bridges (HD3), as well as for Senator-elect Rachel Zenzinger (SD19), whose election returns a champion for kids back to the State Senate,” said Walmer. “DFER’ support also resulted in the conversion of two Republican-held seats back to Democratic hands in Representative-elect Tony Exum of Colorado Springs, and Representative-elect Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Commerce City. These Democratic majorities will allow us to focus on policies that best improve outcomes for kids.”
“In this key battleground state, I’m thrilled to see Senator Bennet secure his pivotal leadership role in the Senate for another term and cannot wait to see what more he will accomplish for our children and families during his tenure,” said Shavar Jeffries, National President of Democrats for Education Reform. “I’m constantly amazed by the deep bench of progressive education reform champions across Colorado, and I am proud that DFER is standing shoulder to shoulder with these leaders as they fight for the progressive policies that help our children reach their fullest potential. I also want to thank Jen Walmer and the DFER-Colorado team for their incredible work to support these champions in this election and in the years ahead.”
The full list of DFER-endorsed candidates is as follows:
- U.S. Senator Michael Bennet
- Hon. Rebecca McClellan (State Board of Education)
- Majority Leader Crisanta Duran (HD5)
- Minority Leader Lucia Guzman (SD34)
- State Rep. Susan Lontine (HD1)
- State Rep. Alec Garnett (HD2)
- Rep.-elect Jeff Bridges (HD3)
- Rep.-elect Chris Hansen (HD6)
- Rep.-elect James Coleman (HD7)
- Rep.-elect Leslie Herod (HD8)
- Rep. Paul Rosenthal (HD9)
- Rep.-elect Edie Hooton (HD10)
- Rep.-elect Tony Exum, Sr. (HD17)
- Rep. Pete Lee (HD18)
- Rep. Brittany Pettersen (HD28)
- Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (HD29)
- Rep.-elect Dafna Michaelson Jenet (HD30)
- Rep.-elect Matt Gray (HD33)
- Rep. Janet Buckner (HD40)
- Rep.-elect Dominique Jackson (HD42)
- Rep. Dave Young (HD50)
- Rep. Millie Hamner (HD61)
- Sen.-elect Steve Fenberg (SD18)
- Sen.-elect Rachel Zenzinger (SD19)
- Sen.-elect Dominick Moreno (SD21)
- Sen.-elect Rhonda Fields (SD29)
- Sen.-elect Lois Court (SD31)
- Sen.-elect Angela Williams (SD33)
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Contact: Jen Walmer, DFER-CO State Director, jwalmer@dfer.org