With the state’s new legislative session slated to get under way on Jan. 8, Democrats have two vacancy seats to fill in two Senate districts.

The districts’ respective vacancy committees have scheduled elections to be held in early January.

Denver Democrats on Monday announced they will hold a vacancy election on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to choose a replacement for Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver.

Hansen announced he would resign his Senate District 31 seat, effective Jan. 9, the day after the start of the 2025 General Assembly. He has accepted a job as CEO of La Plata Electric in Durango.

Seven candidates have announced their intent to run for the seat, according to the party:

• Matthew Ball, director of policy for the city of Denver

• Representative-elect Sean Camacho, who was elected to represent House District 6 in November

• Christian “Chris” Chiari, founder of the cannabis business 420 Hotels

• Iris Halpern, an attorney and partner at Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC

• Shaneis Malouff, chief of staff at the Auraria Higher Education Center

• Monica VanBuskirk, formerly with Connect for Health Colorado

• Rep. Steven Woodrow, who was re-elected to his House District 2 seat for a third term in November

Vacancy committees are made up of party officials, such as precinct committee and central committee officers. 

“We are committed to a fair and transparent process that reflects the values of Senate District 31 and ensures strong Democratic representation in the Colorado State Senate,” said James Reyes, chair of the Democratic Party of Denver. “This meeting provides an opportunity for our community to engage with the candidates and help shape the future of our district.”

Hansen has served in the General Assembly since 2017. After serving three years in the House, he was selected by a vacancy committee in 2020 to succeed Sen. Lois Court, a Democrat, who was stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Hansen was reelected with more than 80% of the vote in November.

The second vacancy committee will happen in Senate District 29, who is represented by Sen. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, who was also reelected in November without opposition. Buckner said she is stepping down on Jan. 9 to focus on her health and spend time with family. 

Buckner started her legislative career in the House in 2015 through the vacancy process, following the death of her husband, Rep. John Buckner. She was elected to the state Senate in 2020. 

Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, has already announced her intention to run for the seat. An Arapahoe County Democratic Party vacancy committee is expected to meet on Jan. 6.

A third vacancy committee to fill the seat of Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch, has not yet been announced.

Van Winkle was elected to the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners in November and is also resigning effective Jan. 9. But he may need to move that resignation up. Last Friday, Commissioner Lora Thomas — who Van Winkle would succeed — announced she is resigning after what she said was four years of harassment and abuse by her fellow commissioners, Abe Laydon and George Teal. In response, Teal and Laydon said it is “tragic that our censured colleague chose to repeatedly violate our policy manual” and that it is “entirely normal and customary after a November election for boxes to move, and transitions to begin.”

Van Winkle could be appointed to fill out the last five weeks of her term.

Among the names being mentioned for that seat are former Rep. Kim Ransom of Lone Tree, current Rep. Brandi Bradley of Roxborough Park, former University of Colorado Regent John Carson and former county commissioner candidate Priscilla Rahn.

The rash of vacancies, including two who had just been reelected to their Senate seats, is prompting stronger calls for changes to the vacancy process, which is decided by a small group of party insiders — not a district’s electorate. In the 2023-24 session, 28 lawmakers had gained 29 seats (one lawmaker was chosen twice by vacancy committee for two different seats) at some point in their legislative careers. 

Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said after Buckner announced her resignation that the “growing number of senators and representatives of both parties serving in office as a result of vacancy committee selections and not traditional elections should concern every Coloradan, and it certainly concerns me.”

Murib said vacancy committees are “small and don’t provide for the same type of public input and scrutiny as a traditional election.”

He added: “In some cases, vacancies have preempted vigorous primary campaigns that allow Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters to choose Party nominees without anyone having the advantage of incumbency.”

An analysis earlier this year by Colorado Politics showed that as few as four people have made the decision about who represents a House or Senate seat — the average is around 40. That’s for House districts of around 89,000 constituents; Senate members represent about 165,000 people.

The 2025-26 session is expected to start with at least 20 lawmakers who reached the General Assembly through the vacancy process. Given that current or incoming House lawmakers are expected to vie for those Senate seats, that, in turn, could create more vacancies.