Denver, Colorado: Jennifer Bacon Elected First Black Woman Speaker of the Colorado House

Colorado House Democrats elected Representative Jennifer Bacon of Denver on Friday to serve as the next Speaker of the Colorado House, making her the first Black woman chosen for the post in state history. Bacon will lead a House Democratic caucus of 49 members in the 76th General Assembly, the largest House Democratic caucus in 90 years.

"I'm deeply honored to continue serving my district and the great people of Colorado, and to demonstrate that we all rise together," Bacon said in a statement released by the caucus. "Colorado voters have made it clear that they trust Democrats to lead our state because we deliver on our promises. I'm ready to continue our progress as the next Speaker of the Colorado House."

A caucus elected in a sweep

Bacon's selection came three days after Colorado Democrats secured supermajorities in both the House and the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections. More than two thirds of the incoming House Democratic caucus are women, and the caucus called the group one of the most diverse ever elected in Colorado. Bacon defeated fellow Democrat Andrew Boesenecker in the caucus vote, according to reports of the leadership election. She succeeds Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat who is term limited and will leave office early next year.

From Denver classrooms to the Capitol

Bacon was a math teacher, school administrator, lawyer and community organizer before she entered the legislature. She earned a law degree from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in education from Florida International University and a bachelor's degree in business management from Tulane University. Denver voters elected her to the Denver School Board in 2017, and she became the board's vice president in 2019.

She was elected to the General Assembly in 2020 and represents House District 7, which covers Denver's far northeast neighborhoods of Green Valley Ranch and Montbello. In 2022 she was elected Assistant Majority Leader, part of the first all woman leadership team in the caucus. She serves on the House Education and Judiciary committees and is a member and former chair of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado.

The team around her and the work ahead

The caucus also chose Representative Javier Mabrey of Denver as Majority Leader and Representative Jenny Willford of Northglenn as Assistant Majority Leader. Representatives Michael Carter of Aurora and Matt Martinez of Monte Vista were elected majority co whips, and Representatives Chad Clifford of Centennial and Jamie Jackson of Aurora were elected majority caucus co chairs. The caucus said the incoming leadership team is made up entirely of women, people of color and LGBTQ+ members.

Bacon's legislative record includes the new school finance formula, the equal pay for equal work law and the Worker Protection Acts, along with bills on voting rights, workforce reentry for justice involved Coloradans and an expansion of the state's Extreme Risk Protection Order law to include teachers. In her statement, she listed her priorities as high quality education for students, lower costs for families and clean air, and she said she intends to redouble efforts to protect Coloradans' rights against the Trump Administration. The 76th General Assembly convenes on January 11, 2027.