This story first appeared at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | Colorado House Republicans chose El Paso County Rep. Jarvis Caldwell to serve as their new minority leader on Saturday morning.
Reps. Ken DeGraaf and Larry Don Suckla were also nominated for the minority leader job. Caldwell won with 60% of the votes and will lead the 22-person caucus. He was first elected to the House in 2024. He represents House District 20, which encompasses Monument and northern El Paso County.
“We’re in a moment right now that we may never see again, and it’s a turning point in the state of Colorado,” he said ahead of the vote, referencing the state’s budget crisis, instances of crime and affordability issues.
“And then when you add what happened to Charlie Kirk … we have churches, young people, young Republicans who are sitting on the sidelines right now saying ‘What can I do to get involved?’ And the next minority leader is going to have to capture that momentum and bring it forward,” he said. Kirk was a conservative political activist who was assassinated earlier this month during a public event.
Caldwell also emphasized his desire for transparency and teamwork in the caucus.
Caldwell replaces former Rep. Rose Pugliese, who resigned on Sept. 15. In her resignation letter, Pugliese cited a desire to spend more time with family and a “toxic” environment in the Legislature. She had a public quarrel with Democratic leadership on the last day of the recent special session over allegations that she covered up for a former lawmaker who shared an unprofessional photo of a Democratic lawmaker in a private group chat.
The Legislature reconvenes in January. Democrats have strong majorities in both chambers.
“We’re going to hit the ground running,” Caldwell said. “We’re not going to stop until November of next year, when we’ll all be celebrating that we’ll have more members.”