This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
Updated 1:31 p.m.
The top Republican in the Colorado Senate announced Monday that he is resigning from the legislature to take a job in the private sector.
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, is resigning effective Monday.
“Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,” Lundeen said in a written statement. “I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity and common-sense conservative values.”
Lundeen said his new job is as the president and CEO of the American Excellence Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., but that has a national footprint. Lundeen said he will remain in Colorado as he enters the role.
Lundeen has served as minority leader since 2022. His current term ends in early 2027. He is term-limited and couldn’t seek reelection in 2026.
Before entering the legislature in 2017 as a state representative, Lundeen was a member of the State Board of Education.
In a recent interview with CPR News, when asked to confirm how long he’d been in the statehouse, he joked, “too long.”
“I've just completed my seventh session in the Senate. So what is that, 15 years on both sides of Colfax?” he said.
Senate President James Coleman said he’ll miss Lundeen. The Denver Democrat said he learned a lot from Lundeen about the legislative process, as well as how to be a good policy maker and leader.
Coleman said Lundeen was a good communicator, and helped ensure that the chamber ran smoothly and led by example.
“He had a lot of grace and patience,” Coleman said. “I think those things are signs of an individual who seeks to understand. He really wanted to better understand everybody regardless of their backgrounds, their culture, their geographical location in the state as a legislator — do that effectively and not compromise his values.”
Republicans have been in the minority during Lundeen’s tenure as GOP leader. The last time the GOP controlled the gavel in the Senate was 2018.
The Senate Republican caucus will meet Thursday evening to select a new leader.
State Sen. Byron Pelton, a Sterling Republican and the Senate GOP caucus chair, said he’s not sure who may run to replace Lundeen as minority leader.
State Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, is currently the Senate assistant minority leader. He is next in line for the top spot.
Pelton said his initial reaction to the news that Lundeen was leaving was “good for him.” Pelton said he appreciated how Lundeen fought for funding for K-12 schools.
“I would describe him as a very unselfish leader, making sure that all of our voices were heard as a caucus, and he would always make sure that we all needed to represent our citizens the way we needed to.”
Pelton said Lundeen was able to bridge divides within the 12-person caucus; “we would have passionate debates on certain things within the caucus about school finance, especially with rural schools compared to the urban schools.”
State Sen. Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells said he was taken aback when Lundeen called to tell him he was leaving.
“I'm one that never holds it against anyone that can make a life move that is beneficial to them and their family. While it'll leave a void in the caucus, I'm confident the Senate Republicans will adapt and grow and be maybe even stronger.”
A Republican vacancy committee will be convened to select his replacement.
Lundeen’s replacement will be one of at least 23 members of the General Assembly next year who at some point were appointed to the House or Senate by or through a vacancy committee. That means that more than 1 in 5 state lawmakers in Colorado owe their legislative careers, either in whole or in part, to the vacancy process.
Lundeen’s name was in the mix as a possible 2026 gubernatorial candidate. His new job, however, likely ends that speculation.
Colorado Capitol Alliance
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
