Rep. Marc Snyder, a former Manitou Springs mayor, is looking to move offices once again, planning to run for the state Senate next year. 

Snyder aims to replace term-limited Sen. Bob Gardner as the representative for El Paso County’s Senate District 12, he announced on Tuesday. Snyder has represented House District 18 for the last five years. Before joining the House, he served as mayor of Manitou Springs from 2010 to 2016 and on the city council since 2004. 

“I’m proud of the work I have done as mayor and in the legislature over the past five years, but there is still more work to be done,” Snyder said. “El Paso County needs a legislator who will continue to make a resilient place to live.” 

If elected, Snyder would be the first Democrat to represent SD 12, according to the district’s current Republican senator, Gardner. 

SD 12 was a strongly conservative district for decades until the redistricting in 2021 shifted the party balance to near neutral. The district now has the fourth most even political split in the state, leaning Republican by only 2.4%, according to a report from the redistricting commission. Active Republican voters outnumber Democrats by more than 3,600, but the district’s nearly 52,600 unaffiliated voters mean the election could easily sway in either direction. 

Snyder is the only candidate to file for the race so far, but Gardner said there are several Republicans considering running. And while Gardner said he has “a lot of personal respect” for Snyder, he will not endorse Snyder to be his successor. 

“I wish him well, though I don’t wish him success,” Gardner said. “If he became a Republican and was our candidate, I certainly would. But until that happens, I certainly won’t.” 

During his time in the House, Snyder has prime-sponsored 70 bills that were signed into law, including policies that sought to invest in behavioral health and support small businesses. Much of his legislation focuses on wildfire mitigation and response, drawing on his experience as Manitou Springs mayor when the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire devastated the city. 

Snyder currently chairs the House Finance Committee and sits on the House Judiciary Committee. He recently served on the interim Wildfire Matters Review Committee, House Services Committee and Pension Review Commission.

If elected to the Senate, Snyder said he would continue the work he has begun in the House. 

“We need to continue our investments in mitigation, to continue to lower the cost of living, including health care,” Snyder said. “To protect our environment and mitigate the effects of wildfires, and to support a fair education system to improve our local economy, like I have done during my time in the House.” 

Snyder is the sixth House representative planning to run for the other chamber next year. 

Reps. Lindsey Daugherty, Cathy Kipp, Judy Amabile, Mike Weissman and Dafna Michaelson Jenet have all also filed to run for open Senate seats in 2024, according to campaign finance reports from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Michaelson Jenet was selected to join the Senate by a vacancy committee last week and will be officially sworn in at a later date. 

SD 12 includes western Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Security-Widefield, Fountain and Fort Carson.