Former Colorado U.S. Senator Cory Gardner of Yuma has been selected as the next president and CEO of the Internet & Television Association, formerly known as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

In a statement released on Tuesday, NCTA announced that Gardner will begin his new position on Sept. 22.

Last December, Gardner was named chair of the Senate Leadership Fund, which seeks to protect the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. Under his leadership, the fund and a partner organization raised $85 million in the first six months of 2025.

Gardner has a long history in Colorado state politics. He served in the Colorado House, representing the northeastern plains, from 2005 to 2011. That also included a stint as minority whip from 2007 to 2010.

In 2010, he ran and won his first term in Congress to represent the 4th Congressional District, serving two terms.

In 2014, he defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and served one term in the U.S. Senate, losing to former Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2020.

The NCTA noted that Gardner held committee assignments on technology and telecommunications policy.

During the 2020 campaign, Gardner boasted he had more bills signed into law than the rest of the delegation combined, according to Colorado Public Radio.

That included the landmark Great Outdoors Act. He also obtained the first federal funding, along with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, for the Arkansas Valley Conduit, which hopes to bring clean drinking water to 40 communities in southeastern Colorado. President John Kennedy first approved the project in 1962.

The Lugar Center ranked Gardner as the third-most bipartisan member of the Senate in 2019.

“Cory brings the high level of strategic leadership and policy expertise that will serve our industry very well in the next chapter of evolution,” said Mark Greatrex, chair of NCTA’s board of directors and president of Cox Communications. “His bipartisan approach, strategic relationships, and deep understanding of the policy landscape will continue to strengthen NCTA’s advocacy in Washington and support our commitment to delivering compelling services for consumers, businesses and communities.”

In the statement, Gardner said it is a moment of “tremendous opportunity for our industry to lead in expanding wired and wireless connectivity, investing in American ingenuity and people, and powering our digital economy.”

Gardner also chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee during his time in the U.S. Senate.

After leaving the Senate, Gardner became the chair of the National Action Victory Fund, a PAC that raises money for Republican candidates.

In June 2021, he joined Michael Best Strategies, a lobbying firm, and remains affiliated with the company on its board of advisors.

In April 2022, he joined the Crypto Council for Innovation as a political affairs strategist, a position he continues to hold.

Gardner has remained active in political campaigning, as well. In 2023, he chaired, along with Rob Collins, a Republican political operative, the Opportunity Matters Fund Action super PAC that backed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott for president in the 2024 election. Scott dropped out in November 2023.

NCTA is based in Washington, D.C.