If elected, Snyder would be the first Democrat to represent SD 12.

Redistricting following the 2020 census made a bit of a mess in Colorado Springs, with SD 12 at the center. The commission redrew boundaries that put the primary residences of three current state senators in SD 12.

In addition to Gardner, who was the last person elected from the district and by law the one who would keep the seat, that included Democratic Sen. Pete Lee and Republican Sen. Dennis Hisey.

Hisey rented an apartment in Senate District 11 in order to run in 2022, but lost to Democratic Tony Exum, Sr., who was then a state representative.

Lee listed his official residence as a rental unit in Senate District 11, while maintaining a home in SD 12.

Hisey was accused of voter fraud related to his residency but the Republican district attorney of El Paso County declined to pursue charges. However, DA Michael Allen did pursue voter fraud charges against Democrat Lee over his residency issues, but a judge dismissed those charges based on inaccurate information provided by the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Registration and which was used to obtain an indictment from an El Paso County grand jury.

Former state Rep. Dan Woog of Erie announced he will try to regain his former House seat for the 2024 election.

Woog, a Republican, represented House District 63 in the 2021-22 session. But redistricting moved him to House District 19. He lost to Democratic Rep. Jennifer Parenti, also of Erie, by three percentage points in a seat where Republicans currently hold a slim voter registration advantage.

Woog’s race was one of five seats Republicans unexpectedly lost in the 2022 election, putting them at a historically low 19-46 disadvantage in the House.

Woog said in a Tuesday announcement: “I believe that House District 19 deserves a state government that protects the rights and freedoms of its constituency. Over what feels like a few short years, we have seen drastic political changes in our district, state, and country. I am running because our children deserve a Colorado with great school opportunities and a safe Colorado where they can ultimately afford to buy a home and raise a family.”

He was previously a town trustee in Erie for seven years. In his announcement, Woog touted bills he authored seeking to allow renters to deduct rent payments on their income taxes (HB22-1127), expand the usage of green hydrogen fuel (HB22-1140) and allow Coloradans the right to utilize various fuel sources (HB21-1034). However, all three of those bills died in their first House committee hearing.

Assuming there are no primary challengers, the race will be a rematch between Woog and Parenti, who filed for re-election in February. According to her website, Parenti’s focus is on housing, the environment and transportation. She is an 20-year Air Force veteran.