Colorado General Assembly Snapshot
The State of Colorado held its elections for a new state house and senate on November 4th 2024. On January 8th 65 state house members and 35 state senators were sworn into office by The Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court Monica Márquez and began the currently active 75th legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly. Among the members elected 10 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly.
Colorado Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates provided from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote, including over 8 million young voters who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms. According to the CIRCLE institutes – Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), Colorado voters had strong political sway. For example, according to YESI two congressional races in Colorado ranked in the 50 most impacted by youth political participation.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Colorado’s unique demographics, voters elected 10 members to the Colorado General Assembly, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Colorado State Legislature.
The Colorado House of Representatives 2025-26 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Colorado House of Representatives
- the average age of Colorado House of Representatives members is 48.88 years
- the youngest Representative Dusty Johnson was born in 1995
- the oldest Representative Mary Bradfield was born in 1949
- 10 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Colorado House of Representatives, all representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, no members of the current Colorado House of Representatives belong to Generation Z (youngest) or the Silent Generation (oldest). Scroll below to see the generations in the Colorado House of Representatives visualized.
Partisanship in the Colorado House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 75th Colorado House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Colorado House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Republican members are, on average, older than their Democratic counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Colorado House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Colorado, eleven members aged 35 or under were elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. Below are all eight of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Colorado House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Dusty Johnson (R) | 63rd District –
Fort Morgan, CO |
1995 (Age 29) | 2024 |
 |
Ryan Gonzalez (R) | 50th District –
Greeley, CO |
1994 (Age 29) | 2024 |
 |
Manny Rutinel (D) | 32nd District –
Commerce City, CO |
1994 (Age 29) | 2023 |
 |
William Lindstedt (D) | 33rd District –
Broomfield, CO |
1993 (Age 31) | 2022 |
 |
Meghan Lukens (D) | 26th District –
Steamboat Springs, CO |
1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
 |
Yara Zokaie (D) | 52nd District – Fort Collins, CO | 1992 (Age 32) | 2024 |
 |
Javier Mabrey (D) | 1st District –
Denver, CO |
1990 (Age 34) | 2022 |
 |
Jarvis Caldwell (R)
|
20th District –
Colorado Springs, CO |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of Colorado General Assembly member roster
Gender in the Colorado House of Representatives
The Colorado House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 58.46% are women, while men make up the remaining 41.54%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female representatives had an average age of 50.46 at the time of the election, compared to 46.72 for their male colleagues.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Colorado House of Representatives. Democratic men have the lowest average age of the four groups at 41.93, while Republican men have a higher average age of 50.55. For women in the Colorado House of Representatives, both parties land just around 50 years old, with Democratic women averaging 50.65 and Republican women averaging 49.13. These patterns show that age representation in the Colorado House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Colorado House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Colorado House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. For example, among Millennials and Generation X, minority legislators account for nearly two-thirds of representatives in both generations. In contrast, among Baby Boomers, minorities account for about a quarter of that group’s representatives. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Colorado House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Caucasian | – | 16
(61.54%) |
18
(78.26%) |
13
(86.67%) |
– | 47
(73.44%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 6
(23.08%) |
1
(4.35%) |
2
(13.33%) |
– | 9
(14.06%) |
| Black/African American | – | 2
(7.69%) |
3
(13.04%) |
– | – | 5
(7.81%) |
| Other | – | 1
(3.85%) |
1
(4.35%) |
1
(6.67%) |
– | 2
(3.12%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | – | 1
(3.85%) |
– | – | 1
(1.56%) |
|
| Total (Precent of Colorado House) | – | 26
(40.62%) |
23
(35.94%) |
15
(23.44%) |
– | 64*
(100%) |
*One House member’s age is currently missing
The Colorado Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Colorado Senate.
• the youngest Senator Katie Wallace who was born in 1995
• the oldest Senator Janice Rich who was born in 1951
• 2 Senators are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Colorado Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Colorado, two members aged 35 or under were elected to the Colorado State Senate. Below are both of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year
(Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Katie Wallace (D) | 17th District
– Longmont, CO |
1995 (Age 29) |
* Appointed Member |
 |
Dylan Roberts (D) | 8th District
– Avon, CO |
1989 (Age 35) |
2022 |
Photos courtesy of Colorado Senate member roster
Partisanship in the Colorado State Senate
In the Colorado State Senate, 23 senators belong to the Democratic Party, and 12 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 48.99, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 63.99. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Colorado State Senate.
Gender in the Colorado Senate
The generational makeup of the Colorado Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is fairly equal overall. Younger generations, such as Millennials and Generation X, include more women than men, while older generations, such as Baby Boomers, have more men than women. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Colorado Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Colorado Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Colorado Senate reveals generational variation in representation. While 45% of the chamber identifies as White across all generations, younger generations—especially Millennials—reflect greater diversity. For example, 75% of Millennial senators identify as Hispanic/Latino. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Colorado Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Colorado State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 6 (66.67%) | 9 (100%) | 14 (93.33%) | – | 29 (87.88%) |
| Black/African American | 1 (11.11%) | – | 1 (6.67%) | – | 2 (6.06%) |
| Hispanic | 1 (11.11%) | – | – | – | 1 (3.03%) |
| Other | 1 (11.11%) | – | – | – | 1 (3.03%) |
| Total | 9 (27.27%) | 9 (27.27%) | 10 (25%) | – | *33 (100%) |
*Two members are missing ages
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Colorado which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 75th Colorado General Assembly