Colorado House Democrats choose Jennifer Bacon as speaker-designate
Bacon and six other Democrats were chosen for caucus leadership; the full House will elect its Speaker when the 2027 session opens.
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Colorado House Democrats chose state Rep. Jennifer Bacon as speaker-designate Nov. 6, selecting her to lead the caucus ahead of the 2027 legislative session. The caucus also elected Javier Mabrey as majority leader, Jenny Wilford as assistant majority leader, Matt Martinez and Michael Carter as whips, and Jamie Jackson and Chad Clifford as caucus co-chairs, House Democrats announced.
The designation does not make Bacon the House Speaker. The Colorado Constitution requires the House to elect a Speaker at the start of the first regular session after a general election, and the General Assembly’s overview of the selection process says that vote takes place on opening day. The 76th General Assembly is scheduled to convene Jan. 11, 2027, Colorado Newsline reported. If the full House elects Bacon, she would be Colorado’s first Black woman speaker, the Denver Post reported.
Candidates discussed priorities including affordability, housing, health care, public education, worker protections, paid family leave, and protections for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ people and immigrant communities, in remarks to the caucus. Wilford said the budget was strained and families were struggling. During the speaker contest, Rep. Andy Beisnecker said lawmakers should put Medicaid on a sustainable path without making vulnerable residents bear the brunt of budget decisions. Those were candidates’ statements, not an announced caucus policy.