United States congressional delegations from Colorado
Since Colorado became a U.S. state in 1876,[1] it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 44th United States Congress. Prior to statehood, the Colorado Territory sent non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives from 1861 to 1876.[2] Each state elects two senators to serve for six years, and members of the House to two-year terms. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Colorado General Assembly.[3] Each state elects varying numbers of members of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms.[4] Colorado has sent eight members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 2020 United States Census.[5]
Current delegation[edit]
Colorado's current congressional delegation to the 118th Congress consists of two senators, both of whom are Democrats, and eight representatives comprising five Democrats and three Republicans.
United States Senate[edit]
| Current U.S. senators from the State of Colorado | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado
|
Class II senator | Class III senator | ||
.jpeg) John Hickenlooper Junior senator (Denver) |
.jpg) Michael Bennet Senior senator (Denver) | |||
| Party | Democratic | Democratic | ||
| Incumbent since | January 3, 2021 | January 21, 2009 | ||
United States House of Representatives[edit]
The state of Colorado gained an eighth congressional seat beginning in 2023. The current dean of the Colorado delegation is Representative Diana DeGette of the 1st district, having served in the House since 1997.
| Current U.S. representatives from Colorado | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Member (Residence)[7] |
Party | Incumbent since | CPVI (2022)[8] |
District map |
| 1st | .jpg) Diana DeGette (Denver) |
Democratic | January 3, 1997 | D+29 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 2nd |  Joe Neguse (Lafayette) |
Democratic | January 3, 2019 | D+17 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 3rd |  Lauren Boebert (Silt) |
Republican | January 3, 2021 | R+7 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 4th |  Greg Lopez (Elizabeth) |
Republican | June 25, 2024 | R+13 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 5th |  Doug Lamborn (Colorado Springs) |
Republican | January 3, 2007 | R+9 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 6th |  Jason Crow (Aurora) |
Democratic | January 3, 2019 | D+9 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 7th |  Brittany Pettersen (Lakewood) |
Democratic | January 3, 2023 | D+4 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 8th |  Yadira Caraveo (Thornton) |
Democratic | January 3, 2023 | EVEN | _(new_version).svg) |
United States Senate[edit]
Two senators from Colorado, Henry M. Teller[9] and Ken Salazar[10], have also served as the United States Secretary of the Interior, under the Arthur administration and Obama administration respectively. Salazar is currently serving as the United States ambassador to Mexico under the Biden administration.[11] Many senators from Colorado, including John F. Shafroth[12] and Edwin C. Johnson,[13] also served as the governor of Colorado. Many of Colorado's senators have been at the forefront of national politics during their careers, including Eugene Millikin, who served as the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference,[14] and Gary Hart, who finished second in the 1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries and was considered a frontrunner in the 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[15]
Senators are elected every six years depending on their class, with each senator serving a six-year term, and elections for senators occurring every two years, rotating through each class such that each election, around one-third of the seats in the Senate are up for election.[16] Colorado's senators are elected in classes II and III.[17] Currently, Colorado is represented in the Senate by Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper.[18]
| Class II senator | Congress | Class III senator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry M. Teller (R)[a] | 44th (1875–1877) | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) | ||
| 45th (1877–1879) | ||||
| 46th (1879–1881) | Nathaniel P. Hill (R) | |||
| 47th (1881–1883) | ||||
| George M. Chilcott (R)[b] | ||||
| Horace Tabor (R) | ||||
| Thomas M. Bowen (R) | 48th (1883–1885) | |||
| 49th (1885–1887) | Henry M. Teller (R) | |||
| 50th (1887–1889) | ||||
| Edward O. Wolcott (R) | 51st (1889–1891) | |||
| 52nd (1891–1893) | ||||
| 53rd (1893–1895) | ||||
| 54th (1895–1897) | ||||
| 55th (1897–1899) | Henry M. Teller (SvR)[c] | |||
| 56th (1899–1901) | ||||
| Thomas M. Patterson (D) | 57th (1901–1903) | |||
| 58th (1903–1905) | Henry M. Teller (D)[d] | |||
| 59th (1905–1907) | ||||
| Simon Guggenheim (R) | 60th (1907–1909) | |||
| 61st (1909–1911) | Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D)[e] | |||
| 62nd (1911–1913) | Charles S. Thomas (D) | |||
| John F. Shafroth (D) | 63rd (1913–1915) | |||
| 64th (1915–1917) | ||||
| 65th (1917–1919) | ||||
| Lawrence C. Phipps (R) | 66th (1919–1921) | |||
| 67th (1921–1923) | Samuel D. Nicholson (R)[f] | |||
| 68th (1923–1925) | ||||
| Alva B. Adams (D)[g] | ||||
| Rice W. Means (R) | ||||
| 69th (1925–1927) | ||||
| 70th (1927–1929) | Charles W. Waterman (R)[h] | |||
| 71st (1929–1931) | ||||
| Edward P. Costigan (D) | 72nd (1931–1933) | |||
| Walter Walker (D)[i] | ||||
| Karl C. Schuyler (R) | ||||
| 73rd (1933–1935) | Alva B. Adams (D)[j] | |||
| 74th (1935–1937) | ||||
| Edwin C. Johnson (D) | 75th (1937–1939) | |||
| 76th (1939–1941) | ||||
| 77th (1941–1943) | ||||
| Eugene Millikin (R) | ||||
| 78th (1943–1945) | ||||
| 79th (1945–1947) | ||||
| 80th (1947–1949) | ||||
| 81st (1949–1951) | ||||
| 82nd (1951–1953) | ||||
| 83rd (1953–1955) | ||||
| Gordon Allott (R) | 84th (1955–1957) | |||
| 85th (1957–1959) | John A. Carroll (D) | |||
| 86th (1959–1961) | ||||
| 87th (1961–1963) | ||||
| 88th (1963–1965) | Peter H. Dominick (R) | |||
| 89th (1965–1967) | ||||
| 90th (1967–1969) | ||||
| 91st (1969–1971) | ||||
| 92nd (1971–1973) | ||||
| Floyd Haskell (D) | 93rd (1973–1975) | |||
| 94th (1975–1977) | Gary Hart (D) | |||
| 95th (1977–1979) | ||||
| William L. Armstrong (R) | 96th (1979–1981) | |||
| 97th (1981–1983) | ||||
| 98th (1983–1985) | ||||
| 99th (1985–1987) | ||||
| 100th (1987–1989) | Tim Wirth (D) | |||
| 101st (1989–1991) | ||||
| Hank Brown (R) | 102nd (1991–1993) | |||
| 103rd (1993–1995) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) | |||
| 104th (1995–1997) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R)[k] | |||
| Wayne Allard (R) | 105th (1997–1999) | |||
| 106th (1999–2001) | ||||
| 107th (2001–2003) | ||||
| 108th (2003–2005) | ||||
| 109th (2005–2007) | Ken Salazar (D)[l] | |||
| 110th (2007–2009) | ||||
| Mark Udall (D) | 111th (2009–2011) | |||
| Michael Bennet (D) | ||||
| 112th (2011–2013) | ||||
| 113th (2013–2015) | ||||
| Cory Gardner (R) | 114th (2015–2017) | |||
| 115th (2017–2019) | ||||
| 116th (2019–2021) | ||||
| John Hickenlooper (D) | 117th (2021–2023) | |||
| 118th (2023–2025) | ||||
United States House of Representatives[edit]
1861–1876: 1 non-voting delegate[edit]
Starting on August 19, 1861, the Territory of Colorado sent a non-voting delegate to the House.
| Congress | Delegate from Territory's at-large district |
|---|---|
| 37th (1861–1863) | Hiram Pitt Bennet (Cons. R) |
| 38th (1863–1865) | |
| 39th (1865–1867) | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) |
| 40th (1867–1869) | George M. Chilcott (R) |
| 41st (1869–1871) | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) |
| 42nd (1871–1873) | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) |
| 43rd (1873–1875) | |
| 44th (1875–1877) | Thomas M. Patterson (D) |
1876–1893: 1 seat[edit]
Following statehood on August 1, 1876, the state of Colorado was granted one seat in the House.
| Congress | At-large district |
|---|---|
| 44th (1875–1877) | James B. Belford (R) |
| 45th (1877–1879) | |
| Thomas M. Patterson (D) | |
| 46th (1879–1881) | James B. Belford (R) |
| 47th (1881–1883) | |
| 48th (1883–1885) | |
| 49th (1885–1887) | George G. Symes (R) |
| 50th (1887–1889) | |
| 51st (1889–1891) | Hosea Townsend (R) |
| 52nd (1891–1893) |
1893–1903: 2 seats[edit]
Following the 1890 census, Colorado was apportioned with two seats.
| Congress | 1st district | 2nd district |
|---|---|---|
| 53rd (1893–1895) | Lafe Pence (Pop) | John Calhoun Bell (Pop) |
| 54th (1895–1897) | John F. Shafroth (R) | |
| 55th (1897–1899) | John F. Shafroth (Sv) | |
| 56th (1899–1901) | ||
| 57th (1901–1903) |
1903–1913: 3 seats[edit]
Following the 1900 census, Colorado was apportioned with three seats.
| Congress | 1st district | 2nd district | At-large |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58th (1903–1905) | John F. Shafroth (D)[m] | Herschel M. Hogg (R) | Franklin E. Brooks (R) |
| Robert W. Bonynge (R) | |||
| 59th (1905–1907) | |||
| 60th (1907–1909) | Warren A. Haggott (R) | George W. Cook (R) | |
| 61st (1909–1911) | Atterson W. Rucker (D) | John Andrew Martin (D) | Edward T. Taylor (D) |
| 62nd (1911–1913) |
1913–1973: 4 seats[edit]
Following the 1910 census, Colorado was apportioned with four seats.
1973–1983: 5 seats[edit]
Following the 1970 census, Colorado was apportioned with five seats.
| Congress | 1st district | 2nd district | 3rd district | 4th district | 5th district |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93rd (1973–1975) | Pat Schroeder (D) | Donald G. Brotzman (R) | Frank Evans (D) | James Johnson (R) | William L. Armstrong (R) |
| 94th (1975–1977) | Tim Wirth (D) | ||||
| 95th (1977–1979) | |||||
| 96th (1979–1981) | Ray Kogovsek (D) | Ken Kramer (R) | |||
| 97th (1981–1983) | Hank Brown (R) |
1983–2003: 6 seats[edit]
Following the 1980 census, Colorado was apportioned with six seats.
| Congress | District | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | |
| 98th (1983–1985) | Pat Schroeder (D) | Tim Wirth (D) | Ray Kogovsek (D) | Hank Brown (R) | Ken Kramer (R) | Daniel Schaefer (R) |
| 99th (1985–1987) | Mike Strang (R) | |||||
| 100th (1987–1989) | David Skaggs (D) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) |
Joel Hefley (R) | |||
| 101st (1989–1991) | ||||||
| 102nd (1991–1993) | Wayne Allard (R) | |||||
| 103rd (1993–1995) | Scott McInnis (R) | |||||
| 104th (1995–1997) | ||||||
| 105th (1997–1999) | Diana DeGette (D) | Bob Schaffer (R) | ||||
| 106th (1999–2001) | Mark Udall (D) | Tom Tancredo (R) | ||||
| 107th (2001–2003) | ||||||
2003–2023: 7 seats[edit]
Following the 2000 census, Colorado was apportioned with seven seats.
| Congress | District | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | |
| 108th (2003–2005) | Diana DeGette (D) |
Mark Udall (D) | Scott McInnis (R) | Marilyn Musgrave (R) |
Joel Hefley (R) | Tom Tancredo (R) |
Bob Beauprez (R) |
| 109th (2005–2007) | John Salazar (D) | ||||||
| 110th (2007–2009) | Doug Lamborn (R) |
Ed Perlmutter (D) | |||||
| 111th (2009–2011) | Jared Polis (D) | Betsy Markey (D) | Mike Coffman (R) | ||||
| 112th (2011–2013) | Scott Tipton (R) | Cory Gardner (R) | |||||
| 113th (2013–2015) | |||||||
| 114th (2015–2017) | Ken Buck (R) | ||||||
| 115th (2017–2019) | |||||||
| 116th (2019–2021) | Joe Neguse (D) | Jason Crow (D) | |||||
| 117th (2021–2023) | Lauren Boebert (R) | ||||||
2023–present: 8 seats[edit]
Following the 2020 census, Colorado was apportioned with eight seats.
| Congress | District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | |
| 118th (2023–2025) | Diana DeGette (D) | Joe Neguse (D) | Lauren Boebert (R) | Ken Buck (R)[r] | Doug Lamborn (R) | Jason Crow (D) | Brittany Pettersen (D) | Yadira Caraveo (D) |
| Greg Lopez (R) | ||||||||
Key[edit]
| Democratic (D) |
| Populist (Pop) |
| Republican (R) |
| Silver (Sv) |
| Silver Republican (SvR) |
See also[edit]
- List of United States congressional districts
- Colorado's congressional districts
- Political party strength in Colorado
Notes[edit]
- ^ Senator Teller resigned in 1882 to become the Secretary of the Interior in the Chester A. Arthur administration. He later returned to the Senate in 1885.[20][9]
- ^ Senator Chilcott was appointed to serve in the open seat created by Teller's resignation.[21] He served until Horace Tabor was elected in the 1883 United States Senate special election in Colorado to complete the rest of the term.[22]
- ^ Senator Teller became a member of the Silver Republican Party in protest to the silver policies of the Republican Party.[23]
- ^ Having already switched to the Silver Republican Party, Senator Teller decided to seek reelection as a member of the Democratic Party, instead of the Republican Party, as silver became less of an issue in politics.[24]
- ^ Senator Hughes died in office.[25]
- ^ Senator Nicholson died in office.[26]
- ^ Senator Adams was first appointed to the role of Senator on May 17, 1923, to serve in Nicholson's seat[27] until Rice W. Means was elected in a special election.[28] He later returned to the Senate in 1933.[27]
- ^ Senator Waterman died in office.[29]
- ^ Senator Walker was appointed by Governor William Herbert Adams on September 27, 1932, to serve in Waterman's seat[30] until Karl C. Schuyler was elected in a special election.[31]
- ^ Senator Adams died in office.[32]
- ^ Senator Campbell switched from the Democratic party to the Republican party in 1995.[33]
- ^ Senator Salazar resigned in 2009 to become the Secretary of the Interior under the Obama administration.[34]
- ^ Representative Shafroth resigned, believing that he had won the 1904 United States House of Representatives election in Colorado because of election fraud, giving up his seat for his opponent, Robert W. Bonynge.[35]
- ^ Representative Taylor died in office.[36]
- ^ Representative Vaile died in office.[37]
- ^ Representative Lewis died in office.[38]
- ^ Representative Martin died in office.[39]
- ^ Representative Buck resigned in March 2024, before the end of his term.[40]
References[edit]
- ^ "Today in History - August 1". Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Biographical directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive (PDF). Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office. 2005. p. 54. ISBN 0-16-073176-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913) | National Archives". National Archives. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. September 15, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Congressional elections and midterm elections | USAGov". USA.gov. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Historical Apportionment Data (1910-2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ "Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI) State List". The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Henry M. Teller (1882–1885)". Miller Center. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. October 4, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Sterling, Gloria Borger,Joe (January 16, 2013). "Interior's Ken Salazar stepping down | CNN Politics". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "New US ambassador arrives in Mexico's capital". AP News. The Associated Press. September 12, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "John Franklin Shafroth". National Governors Association. January 13, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Edwin Carl Johnson". National Governors Association. January 13, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Republican Conference Chairpersons". United States Senate. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Matthews, Dylan (September 28, 2014). "Before 1987, politicians' affairs weren't a big deal. After, they almost ended a presidency". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: About the Senate and the Constitution". United States Senate. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | Colorado Senators". United States Senate. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Meet Colorado's Congressional delegation". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Ambassador to Mexico - Ken Salazar". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. January 26, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Teller, Henry Moore". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Chilcott, George Miles". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Tabor, Horace Austin Warner". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Noel, Tom (August 4, 2016). "In 1896, a precursor to this year's GOP disunity". The Denver Post. MediaNews Group. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Senators Who Changed Parties During Senate Service (Since 1890)". United States Senate. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Senator Hughes of Colorado Dies". Albuquerque Morning Journal. January 12, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nicholson Dies at Denver Home". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Bozeman, Montana. March 25, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Adams, Alva Blanchard". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Means, Rice William". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Colorado Senator Claimed By Death". Fremont Tribune. Fremont, Nebraska. United Press International. August 27, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Walker Named to U.S. Senate". Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. The Associated Press. September 27, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Schuyler, Karl Cortlandt". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Sen. Adams, Colorado, Dies in Capital at 66". The Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio. United Press International. December 1, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Campbell, Ben Nighthorse". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Gandy, Sara (January 16, 2009). "Sen. Salazar says goodbye to U.S. Senate". 9News. KUSA-TV. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Gives Up Seat in House". The New York Times. New York, New York. February 16, 1904. p. 8. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "E. T. Taylor Dies; Congressman, 83". The New York Times. New York, New York. United Press International. September 4, 1941. p. 20. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Congressman Vaile Dies in Automobile". The New York Times. New York, New York. The Associated Press. July 3, 1927. p. 49. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Lawrence Lewis, Congressman, Dies". The New York Times. December 10, 1943. p. 28. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "John Martin Dies; Congressman, 71". The New York Times. New York, New York: The Associated Press. December 23, 1939. p. 15. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Riccardi, Nicholas (March 12, 2024). "Republican Rep. Ken Buck to leave Congress next week, narrowing GOP's slim majority". AP News. The Associated Press. Retrieved July 18, 2024.