December 18, 2024 10:52 AM UTC

State Legislative Turnover: Not as Bad as You Thought

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• by: Colorado Pols

There has been a lot of talk lately about the role of vacancy committees in filling open seats for elected office, and for good reason.

The problem is certainly not unique to the state legislature, though that’s where much of the focus has been recently. Oddly enough (as we’ll examine in a moment), turnover inside the State Capitol will actually be less in 2025 than it was in 2023. But first, let’s refresh the current vacancy committee concerns…

As Seth Klamann wrote for The Denver Post in late November:

Denver Sen. Chris Hansen’s decision to leave the state Capitol for a job in southwestern Colorado while endorsing two Democrats to ascend the political ladder behind him has frustrated party officials and sparked fresh criticism of the process that’s served as a gateway for a third of the state legislature…

…Vacancy committees are already an insular, partisan process in which a relatively small group of party officials and volunteers select a replacement for a state legislator who leaves office early. They’ve long been haltingly accepted as an imperfect convenience, but Hansen’s resignation — and his decision to endorse a House member to replace him and then back another person to replace his replacement — has reinvigorated criticisms of the process and sparked accusations of backroom deals and opaque insider politics.

Of the eight people who confirmed their interest in taking Hansen’s seat, Hansen said he wanted Rep.-elect Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat just elected to the legislature after winning a pricey primary in June, to replace him in the Senate, potentially before Camacho ever serves a day in the House.

Hansen said he also wanted Katie March, who previously and unsuccessfully ran for the Capitol Hill-based seat that Camacho just won, to take over for Camacho should he move to the Senate.

A separate slate has also taken shape: Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Denver Democrat who represents the Washington Park area in the House, is also seeking Hansen’s seat. He, too, would require a replacement, and he’s linked to Emily Parker, a Democratic Party official who confirmed that she would be interested in Woodrow’s seat should it become available.

This can go round and round and round for awhile. It is obviously not an ideal situation, nor is it unique to Democrats; before Republicans wore out their welcome in Jefferson County in the last decade, the vacancy committee shuffle was practically a sport. Republicans have long played musical chairs in Weld County. And ahead of the next legislative session on Jan. 8, Republicans need to fill a vacancy in SD-30 after incumbent Sen. Kevin Van Winkle was elected as a Douglas County Commissioner.

Whether or not there is a viable solution to this issue is a problem all its own. Serving in the state legislature is a demanding job rewarded with a terrible salary, which makes it hard for anyone to stick around until term limits boot them out. It wouldn’t make sense to hold another election to fill a single vacancy, nor can you reasonably force someone to stay in their current office and forego a different job elsewhere.

But things aren’t as bleak as they might seem…

As you can see from the chart above, there were actually far more newcomers in the state legislature in 2023 than there will be in 2025.

We would be happy to see a plausible reform to the vacancy committee process, and we hope it happens. In the meantime, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this situation is more of an annoyance than a crisis.