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DENVER, CO - House Democrats today elected Representative Elizabeth Velasco to serve as co-whip on the majority leadership team for the 75th General Assembly.
“I am proud to welcome Representative Velasco to the leadership team to join me in uplifting Western Slope voices in the House,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Rep. Velasco is a strong advocate for Colorado’s rural communities and has worked to bolster Colorado’s emergency response systems, improve wildfire-related grants, and generate new funding for land and wildlife habitat conservation and restoration. Her dedication to her communities is evident in the thoughtful and effective legislation she has passed in her first term as a legislator. I’m thankful for Sen. Iman Jodeh’s hard work and dedication to serving our caucus, and I look forward to working alongside Rep. Velasco as she carries forward the work to make our communities a more affordable and safer place for all.”
“Representative Velasco has demonstrated great leadership during her time in our caucus, passing legislation that saves Coloradans money, protects our freedoms, and prevents senseless gun violence, and her new role on the leadership team will help us accomplish more for the people of Colorado,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. “As the first immigrant lawmaker from Mexico, Rep. Velasco will work tirelessly to protect our immigrant communities, safeguard our air and water and prioritize working families at the legislature.”
“I’m honored to have been elected to the leadership team by my caucus, and I am committed to helping us pass legislation that advances our priorities and protects the rights and freedoms of Coloradans,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs. “As a Western Slope legislator, I will work to ensure voices in my community are heard by championing legislation that will protect Colorado’s waters, combat wildfire threats, and make our state a more affordable place to live. Being the first Mexican-born state representative to serve in Colorado, I know how important immigrants are in communities across our state and the struggles they face. I’m thankful that the Colorado House Democrats have put their trust in me to help guide our caucus as we build on our successes of reducing health care costs, supporting our ranchers and agriculture workers, and protecting the freedoms of all Coloradans.”
Rep. Velasco succeeds Iman Jodeh, who was selected for the Colorado State Senate District 29 seat on January 6, 2025. Rep. Velasco joins co-whip Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, who was elected to the leadership team in November 2024.
Rep. Velasco was elected to the State House in 2022 to represent House District 57, which encompasses Western Slope communities in Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin counties. She is the first Mexican-born state representative in Colorado history, the first Latina legislator from the Western Slope, and the first open LGBTQ legislator in Western Colorado. Her accomplishments include making Colorado communities more resilient to wildfire damage, preventing gun violence by strengthening firearm storage requirements, boosting funding for community organizations that provide the tools immigrants need to build a life in Colorado, and improving water quality and tenant protections in mobile home parks.
She serves as the Chair of the Wildfire Matters Interim Committee, Vice Chair of the House Energy & Environment Committee and a member of the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources and House Appropriations committees.