The Republicans are the minority party in both houses of the Colorado state legislature. In the state Senate, there are 26 Democrats to nine Republicans. In the State House of Representatives, the count is 46 Democrats to 19 Republicans.

Despite their minority status, Republican legislators have important roles to play. Democrats know a bill has a better chance of passing into law if it has bipartisan support. Requests to Republicans to jointly sponsor bills with Democrats are the result.

Both the state Senate and the state House of Representatives use the committee system. Minority legislators can become specialists with expertise on a specific area of state government. In committee meetings, where the details of proposed bills are debated and written, a knowledgeable member of the minority with persuasive speaking skills can have influence.

The minority party has leadership positions just as the majority party does. These minority leaders will publicly criticize majority party bills they suspect are unpopular with the voters. They also are a leadership-in-waiting, ready to take the controlling reins of the state legislature if future elections should put them in the majority.

Campaign websites tell us about the current Republican minority leadership in both houses of the Colorado legislature:

Senate minority leader

Paul Lundeen, District 9, lives in Monument north of Colorado Springs. He is the founder of small businesses providing services ranging from brain training and learning centers to real estate development.

Lundeen graduated from New York University, where he studied journalism and economics. He worked as a Washington correspondent with credentials to cover the White House.

Results from previous statewide elections set Lundeen’s state Senate district at a safe 66% Republican.

Senate assistant minority leader

Bob Gardner, District 12, represents west Colorado Springs and Teller County.

Senator Gardner graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a missile launch officer. While in the Air Force, he received his law degree from the University of Texas and then served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He also taught judicial process at the Air Force Academy.

He served on the board of Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, which he helped found. He is also on the board of the Legal Advocacy Fund for the Colorado League of Charter Schools.

Gardner’s state Senate district is competitive at 51% Democratic to 49% Republican. Of the eight Republican leaders in both houses of the state legislature, the well-liked and personable Gardner is the only one from a competitive rather than a safe-Republican district.

Senate minority whip

Barbara Kirkmeyer, District 23, has lived in southern Weld County north of Denver for more than 35 years. She is a fourth-generation Coloradan and a graduate of the University of Colorado.

She previously co-owned and operated a dairy farm.

She was a county commissioner in Weld County and served as the acting executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs when Republican Bill Owens was state governor. She has two daughters and six grandsons.

Senator Kirkmeyer ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District. She campaigned hard and won considerable respect, yet lost narrowly in the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.

Her state Senate district is 61% safe-Republican.

Senate minority caucus chair

Jim Smallwood, District 2, represents Parker, a southeast Denver suburb.

Sen. Smallwood earned his degree in finance from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. At age 23, he started an insurance firm specializing in employee benefits. He is now president of employee benefits for Moody Insurance Agency. He serves on the Colorado Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities.

His state Senate district is 62% safe-Republican.

House minority leader

Mike Lynch, District 65, is from Wellington. He was born on the Western Slope of Colorado and is the son of a U.S. Forest Ranger. Upon graduation from high school, he began 11 years of service in the U.S. Army.

Lynch received a B.S. in systems engineering and law from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He earned a M.S. in public administration from the University of Colorado. He holds U.S. Army certifications as airborne qualified, Bradley commander and master fitness trainer.

He has held a number of management positions, working in the medical devices, human resources, apparel and fashion and software industries.

Based on past election results, Mike Lynch’s House district averages 63% Republican.

House assistant minority leader

Rose Pugliese, District 14, represents Colorado Springs. Her father and maternal grandparents were from Italy. She and her two sisters grew up on Long Island, New York, where the family operated a small Italian restaurant.

She was the first woman in her family to graduate from college. She was a sociology major at Villanova with a minor in Japanese. She then obtained her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.

Rose Pugliese moved to Mesa County, Colorado, where she opened a law firm. She ran for office and served eight years as county commissioner.

Rep. Pugliese is the mother of a child with special learning needs. Her safe Republican seat is 66% Republican.

House minority whip

Richard Holtorf, District 63, is from the eastern plains of Colorado. He is a third-generation rancher, running the Buffalo Springs Ranch in Washington County.

He graduated from Akron High School and received an engineering degree from Colorado State University. Later he received an MBA from Boston University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

His 29-year career as an Army officer included five overseas tours, two of them to combat areas.

Representative Holtorf served as president of the Washington County Farm Bureau and commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post. He is a member of the Washington County Stockman’s Association as well as a 4-H leader.

He is married and has raised four daughters. He has one granddaughter.

His state Senate seat is super safe at 77% Republican.

House minority caucus chair

Mary Bradfield, District 21, represents Fountain, Security and Widefield in the Colorado Springs metro area.  She is originally from Iowa but has lived in the Colorado Springs area since 1984. She is a retired teacher.

Her House district is comfortably safe at 59% Republican.

Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy are news columnists who write on Colorado and national politics.