State Rep. Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat and the first openly transgender lawmaker to serve in Colorado’s General Assembly, on Wednesday joined the Democratic primary for the open state treasurer position on next year’s ballot.

“As a legislator, I’ve worked to ensure economic opportunity and financial security for all Coloradans,” Titone said in a statement. “I’m running for state treasurer to champion fiscal responsibility, protect PERA, invest taxpayer dollars wisely, and make the government more efficient. I’ve spent my career tackling complex financial and policy challenges, and I’m ready to bring that experience to the Treasurer’s Office.”

Colorado’s state treasurer manages the state’s investments, checkbook and cash flow, overseeing more than 750 state funds. The treasurer sits on the board governing of the state pension fund, the Public Employees Retirement Association, and also runs the state’s Unclaimed Property Division, which reunites people and businesses with unclaimed property and cash through the Great Colorado Payback.

A former geologist and software developer, the 47-year-old Titone was first elected to represent Jefferson County’s House District 27 in 2018, when she flipped the Republican-held seat by just over 400 votes. She has won reelection by comfortable margins three times since and she is term-limited, as is the incumbent state treasurer, Democrat Dave Young, a retired teacher and former state lawmaker from Greeley.

Meet Brianna Titone, Colorado's first transgender lawmaker

Titone acknowledges that, if elected, she could become the first openly transgender statewide official in U.S. history but says her campaign “isn’t just about making history — it’s about fiscal responsibility, retirement security for all and building an economy that works for everyone.”

Titone enters the race with a slew of endorsements, including from a dozen fellow legislators and nearly as many local elected officials.

“I have worked with Rep. Titone for many years,” Senate President Pro Tea Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, said in a statement. “Her work ethic is second to none. I am honored to support her for State Treasurer where I believe her experience and character make her the best woman for the job.”

State Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, said he’s proud to support Titone “because she always puts working people first; I know she will fight to preserve PERA so that hard-working Coloradans can retire with dignity.”

Titone faces Jefferson County Treasurer Jerry DiTullio and former El Paso County Democratic Chair John Mikos, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and management consultant, in what’s likely to become a more crowded primary. State Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, the chairman of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, has also indicated interest in the race.

So far, no Republican candidates for the office have emerged.

Next year’s primary election is June 30.

Titone grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and moved to Colorado roughly 17 years ago. She’s had a varied career, with work as a mining consultant, web application developer, substitute teacher and volunteer firefighter.

She has a bachelor’s degree in physics and geology from the State University of New York at New Paltz, a master’s degree in geochemistry from Stony Brook University and a master’s degree in information communications technology from the University of Denver. Before her election, she volunteered at the Denver Botanic Gardens and is a member of NecroSearch International, a nonprofit that uses scientific methods to help law enforcement solve cases.