STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 40: Ricks vs Porter
AURORA | Incumbent Democratic Rep. Naquetta Ricks faces Republican Clinton Porter in the election for Colorado House District 40, which includes the area around Cherry Creek Reservoir and parts of Aurora.
Ricks has lived in Colorado for 30 years and is a small business owner and founder of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado. Ricks, who is from Liberia, is the first African immigrant to serve in Colorado’s legislature.
Ricks was first elected in 2020 and currently chairs the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Her platform priorities include expanding access to affordable housing, protecting tenants and strengthening workforce development.
In the 2026 legislative session, Ricks sponsored and passed legislation to increase accessible housing units, establish a framework for online age-verification and improve access to information about regional and local transit options.
Porter is a business owner and metro area Realtor, as well as a father to four children. His policy priorities include improving affordability, reducing regulations and supporting businesses, supporting law enforcement and protecting Second Amendment rights. The National Rifle Association gave Porter a top ranking for his support of gun rights, according to Porter’s social media.
On social media, Porter indicated he supports measures on this year’s ballot to increase penalties for child sex trafficking (Proposition 133), ban transgender students from competing on certain sports teams (Proposition 134) and prohibit gender-affirming surgeries for minors (Proposition 135). He opposes Proposition NN, which would raise the TABOR cap to fund public education, while advocating for capping the flat income tax.