A Democratic vacancy committee Thursday night selected former state Rep. Adrienne Benavidez to replace Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who resigned earlier this month, in representing state Senate District 21.
Benavidez beat out six other candidates for the job. She will replace Michaelson Jenet for the rest of the year. Voters in November’s election will choose who will serve out the remaining two years of her term.
Benavidez pledged to focus on reproductive freedom, support for small businesses, affordability, agriculture and fighting back against the Trump administration’s policies, especially on immigration. The district spans parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties.
“People are afraid, we can’t ignore it,” she said. “About 50% of this district is Latino. We are going to be a target in Adams County. So we have to do something.”
Benavidez said her prior experience in the legislature makes her uniquely qualified to take over the seat starting next week.
“I think I am the best prepared to step into this role,” she said.
Democratic Reps. Lorena Garcia of Adams County and Manny Rutinel of Commerce City nominated Benavidez for the role. Garcia replaced Benavidez in the House when Benavidez resigned from the legislature in 2022. Her resignation came just weeks after winning reelection to her second term and after she lost the election for House Speaker to Rep. Julie McCluskie of Dillon.
Garcia lauded Benavidez’s decision to resign, saying that staying would have divided the Democratic caucus.
“In order to make sure that we could move forward putting the Democratic Party first and putting families first, she needed to step down and leave space for new energy in that chamber,” Garcia said. “Now she’s ready to step up and step back into the game and bring her expertise.”
There are 27 state lawmakers who will serve at the Colorado Capitol this year who at some point were appointed to the House or Senate by or through a vacancy committee, The Colorado Sun has reported. That’s more than 1 in 4 members of the state legislature who owe their legislative careers, either in whole or in part, to the vacancy process.
There were 38 members of the vacancy committee in Senate District 21 that picked Benavidez to replace Michaelson Jenet on Thursday evening. Benavidez won with 52.63% of the vote.
Michaelson Jenet, who was one of a few Jewish state lawmakers, left the job to join the David Merage Foundation for Confronting Antisemitism, a local nonprofit. She will lead an initiative there combating antisemitism across the country.
Michaelson Jenet said serving as a state lawmaker had become a financial hardship for her family. State lawmakers are paid about $45,000 a year for a job that’s supposed to be part-time but can be a year-round commitment. The median household income in Colorado is about $95,000. Michaelson Jenet is not the first lawmaker to depart the legislature citing personal finances.
Staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
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