Days after winning a landslide election for a second term, Democratic Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver told 9News he plans to go public on Tuesday.
Mr. Hansen plans to step down to become CEO of La Plata Electric Association, a cooperative based in Pagosa Springs, sources told Colorado Politics.
The company would not confirm or deny Hansen’s employment. The company has been run by an interim CEO since March.
Hansen has been in the Senate for just under five years. He was first appointed to the seat in January 2020 by the Vacancies Committee following the resignation of Sen. Royce Cote, who suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome. He was first elected to the Senate seat in November 2020.
Mr. Hansen was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2016, representing the 6th Congressional District. A native of Goodland, Kansas, he holds a PhD in economic geography from Oxford University.
Hansen has been one of the architects of the Senate’s property tax initiative in recent years, serving as chairman of the state property tax committee created a year ago during the 2023 special session.
He also initiated the second round, the process by which Democratic lawmakers choose which bills to spend the dollars set aside after the state budget is completed. The results of that vote were kept secret, leading to a lawsuit being filed in 2023. A Denver judge said in January that lawmakers could not continue using it without full transparency, and lawmakers responded by making their findings public for the first time in April.
Colorado Democratic Party announces new approach, promises transparency in bill funding
Hansen’s other legislative accomplishments include co-sponsoring a 2020 bill to change Colorado’s Columbus Day to Mother Cabrini Day and a 2024 bill that would require drivers to hold cell phones while driving. He was a co-sponsor of a bill banning this, which went into effect. January 1st.
Mr. Hansen served on the Joint Budget Committee for three years and has served on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees every year since attending the General Assembly.
Hansen ran for Denver mayor in 2022, but did not make it to the runoff and later endorsed Kelly Braff, who lost to Mike Johnston. Hansen won re-election in 2024 on Tuesday with 84.69% of the vote, with his only challenger being a Libertarian Party candidate.
The announcement is expected to have a domino effect on his successor, who will be appointed by the Democratic Senate District 31 Vacancy Committee. Already named as candidates for the seat are Congressman-elect Sean Camacho of the 6th Congressional District and Congressman Stephen Woodrow of the 2nd Congressional District. Both acknowledged their interest in the Colorado Political Bureau.
If Camacho were to fill the vacancy, and sources say he is the top candidate for the position, yet another vacancy committee would need to choose his replacement.
Katie March, who lost the 2022 primary race for the 6th District seat to U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Epps, admitted she is considering “opportunities” that may come her way.
Hansen’s resignation means that at least 19 members of the 2025 General Assembly have won seats through vacancies committees. This number amounted to 29 seats to be filled by 28 members in the 2023-2024 session (one member was appointed twice by the Vacancies Committee).
With Hansen’s resignation, the number of members in 2025 will be at least 20. Sen. Kevin Van Winkle (R-Douglas County) has been elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, and the Senate District 30 Republican Vacant Committee will need to select his replacement. .
List: 28 members, 29 seats filled through vacancies committee
Editor’s note clarifying what Hansen told 9News.
