Senate President James Coleman has been named to the board of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), an arm of the national Democratic Party that works to elect Democrats to state legislatures around the nation.

He follows in the footsteps of U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, who served on the DLCC for the last four years of her term in the Colorado Senate.

In a recent statement, New York Senate President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader and DLCC Chair Andrea Stewart-Cousins said ““I’m thrilled to welcome our new class of DLCC board members, including Colorado Senate President James Coleman. There has never been a more important time to ensure we have battle-tested, experienced leaders at the helm of Democratic strategy in the states as Donald Trump upends Washington and our economy. Senate President Coleman embodies the diverse expertise needed to drive and elevate our strategy to build durable state power through the end of the decade. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but we have the team in place to meet this moment and position the DLCC as a leader in breaking new ground for the Democratic Party.”

The appointment also could be one of the first public signs of growing attention outside the state to Colorado’s second Black Senate President.

Coleman won’t dismiss out of hand the notion that he could be headed up the political ladder someday, but for now, he told Colorado Politics, job one is continuing to guide the Colorado Senate, working toward helping elect Democrats across the country, and closer to home, thinking about the challenges of the 2026 election, when four Senate Democratic leaders are term-limited and at least two others are rumored to be thinking about something other than running for re-election.

Coleman said he wanted to be part of the DLCC because he believes Colorado is a national model for great Democratic leadership. “I want to help other states around the country elect great Democratic leaders as well,” he said.

He was first exposed to the DLCC last year after attending an event in Denver with then-Senate President Steve Fenberg and House Speaker Julie McCluskie and a few other lawmakers.

“I was just blown away,” he said. Coleman got to meet other presidents, speakers and legislators from around the country who were trying to generate support for good Democratic candidates for state legislatures, and he wanted to be part of that.

“If I can do that work here, and help do the same work around the country, I said I would be honored,” and he’s excited to get to work when it becomes official on Monday.

The biggest challenge, he believes, is reaching out to unaffiliated voters. The other is focusing on affordability, a message that helped elect President Trump last November.

But that matters to everyone, Coleman said. At the end of the day, people need a place to sleep at night, have food on the table, go to the doctor if they get sick. “These are the things that I believe we focused on this year during the legislative session. I want us to be able to go around the rest of the country and say, ‘Here are the issues that we focused on. Is it the same where you are? And how can we help your campaigns to get the right folks selected to do the work?’”

Affordability is an issue everyone can agree on, regardless of party, he explained. Whether Republican or Democrat, “we all agree that there is a problem that people cannot afford to live” but acknowledging the parties disagree on how to go about fixing that.

For Democrats, “I truly believe that the Democratic Party, in this day and age in which we live, really believes the government has a role to play in making sure that we’re helping the people who need it the most, that we’re responsible for all of our citizens,” he said.

“We’re not just responsible for lower-income or people of color or certain groups. We are responsible for everyone.”

Coleman believes in the “big tent” approach, where everyone is welcome, along with the focus of the Democratic Party, which he said is poised to help out those who need the most help.

While the DLCC’s intent is to help state lawmakers, it also works to find and develop the bench for those who may seek higher office.

Taking on that task of helping Democrats could benefit Coleman in other ways, and that could include raising his profile outside of Colorado.

What does that mean for his future? Coleman said his top aspiration “is to make sure we have great leadership, period.” But he admitted he’s hearing from people who think he ought to run for Congress someday.

“I’m honored” that people would think of him for that, and he doesn’t say it isn’t for him.

It shows that people believe in him and there’s nothing like it, he said, that people believe he can make that kind of impact.

So while he’s honored, his primary job for now is to be the Senate President, and he is committed to staying in that seat for the next three sessions, pointing to the commitment he made when he was elected Senate President in January.

“This wasn’t a stepping stone for me. I have a job to do in this moment and I’m focused on that.”

But “if opportunity presents itself down the road, I would definitely consider it” if people believe he’s the right person for that kind of leadership.

What matters most for now, Coleman said, is to get as many Democrats elected to office up and down the ballot, and to find the people who have those good leadership qualities…and finding the Democrats who will help keep the majority — and him in the President’s chair — in the state Senate in next year’s election.

In 2026, Senate Democrats will have at least 13 seats out of their 23-seat majority to defend. That includes four Democratic senators, Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez of Denver, Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge, Julie Gonzales of Denver and Faith Winter of Westminster, who will be term-limited. In addition, Sen. Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village is running for state treasurer, although he would retain his Senate seat if he did not succeed. Coleman is term-limited in 2028.