Colorado state Senate Republicans elected new leaders Thursday for the 2025 session.

State Sen. Paul Lundeen of Monument will remain in his post as minority leader.

Replacing Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs, who is term-limited in January, will be Sen. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa. Simpson was reelected for his second and final term on Tuesday night.

Sen. Byron Pelton of Sterling will serve as the caucus chair. Sen. Janice Rich of Grand Junction will serve as minority whip.

Continuing on as the caucus’ Joint Budget Committee member is Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer of Weld County. Kirkmeyer was also reelected on Tuesday.

“Our caucus is uniquely diverse in representing a wide array of perspectives, expertise, and experience from every corner of state,” Lundeen said in a statement. “This caucus now carries the heavy mantle of applying this expertise into service, not just to our own constituents, but to the entire state.”

Simpson said he is grateful to be part of such a strong team, and that he looks forward to working with the new members of the caucus and the new perspectives they will bring.

Those three new members are Rep. Marc Catlin of Montrose, Scott Bright of Platteville and Rep. Lisa Frizell of Parker. Frizell replaces term-limited Republican Sen. Jim Smallwood; Bright will take the seat currently occupied by term-limited Sen. Kevin Priola, D-Henderson; and, Catlin will replace Republican (and voice of the Front Range Rail System) Sen. Perry Will of New Castle, who chose not to run for reelection. On Tuesday, he was elected to the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners.

Pelton said he looks forward to serving the caucus “and ensuring we are best equipped to deliver the solutions the people of Colorado are owed. I am glad to bring a rural perspective to our leadership team.”

Rich added that “the people of Colorado in all corners of our state are still crying for relief — our caucus of 12 will once again be the driving force that delivers it to them.”

Kirkmeyer, whose work on property tax reform led to the bipartisan compromise in the 2024 special session in August, pointed to the challenges of the upcoming state budget.

“As we have seen in the recent forecast and in the Governor’s budget requests, next session we will face numerous hurdles and challenges, especially concerning the funding of our state’s healthcare system and education. I am looking forward to facing these challenges and ensuring our state’s students and most vulnerable are not forgotten,” she said.

The caucus will have one more new member in the weeks to come — Sen. Kevin Van Winkle of Douglas County was elected to the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, and he will have to be replaced by a vacancy committee.

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