Morgan Carroll is stepping down as chair of the Colorado Democratic Party. She announced Wednesday she won’t run for re-election after leading the state party for six years.
“Every two years, under state law and party rules, the party ‘re-organizes’ in odd years which just means all party officer positions are up for elections every two years,” Carroll said in a written statement. “I have decided not to run for a fourth term.”
She plans to remain active as chair until the State Party Re-Organization in April. That’s when a new party chair and other positions will be elected.
Prior to leading the party, Carroll represented Aurora’s House District 36 from 2005-2009 and Senate District 36 from 2009-2017. From 2013-2015, she was state Senate president. Carroll unsuccessfully ran against then-congressman and current Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman in 2016. She lost by nine percentage points.
After Rick Palacio resigned, Carroll was elected as State Party Chair over Clear Creek County Commissioner Tim Mauck in a landslide vote in 2017. She began her tenure in the middle of the Trump Administration. She now closes it with state Democrats having dominated the 2022 midterm elections.
Carroll’s Republican counterpart, Kristi Burton Brown, is uncertain of her future with the party. She has yet to announce if she will run for election. If she decides to run, Brown will have to face at least one opponent.
Casper Stockham announced his intentions to run for the position during the Arapahoe County Republican Breakfast Wednesday. Stockham is a three-time GOP Congressional nominee. He ran in 2016, 2018, and 2020.