This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
State Sen. Faith Winter, a Broomfield Democrat and the mother of two children, was killed Wednesday night in a multi-vehicle crash south of Denver.
The wreck happened about 6 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 near Dry Creek Road.
Deputy John Bartmann of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said there were three people injured and one person was killed in the five-vehicle crash. He said the cause of the wreck is under investigation.
“The cause is going to take some time to figure out,” he said.
Bartmann said he could not provide information on who was killed and injured in the crash. But The Colorado Sun learned that Winter was the person who died, which was later confirmed by her family and top Democrats at the Capitol.
Winter, 45, had a son and daughter. She was engaged to marry former state Rep. Matt Gray, a fellow Democrat.
Winter was a fierce advocate for transit and served as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee. She was entering her 12th and final year as a state lawmaker because of term limits.
Senate President James Coleman and Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, both Denver Democrats, confirmed Winter’s death in a written statement and said they were “devastated” and that their “hearts are with Sen. Winter’s family and friends as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
“Sen. Winter was a colleague whose presence brought warmth and an invaluable perspective to the Capitol,” the senators said. “We will miss her leadership, her partnership, and her deep commitment to a brighter Colorado.”
Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that the state is “shaken” by Winter’s passing, calling her a “fierce advocate for hardworking Coloradans, women, families, and our climate.”
“I am deeply saddened for her family, her friends and colleagues, and her community,” Polis said, adding that he had known Winter for 20 years. “Faith’s work and advocacy made Colorado a better state.”
Beloved by her colleagues, Winter often had her dog, Queso, in tow at the Capitol. Her daughter sold Girl Scout cookies outside the House and Senate chambers. The senator was quick to offer a hug to those having a bad day.
But she was also a skilled and tough policymaker, especially when it came to transportation and environmental issues.
Among Winter’s accomplishments in the legislature was passing a measure raising billions of dollars for transportation projects in Colorado by imposing new fees on the purchase of gas and diesel fuel, as well as on rideshare rides and deliveries. She champions a ballot measure approved by voters that created a government-run paid family and parental leave program. And she rose to become the assistant Senate majority leader, the No. 3 role in the chamber in 2023.
In 2018, when she was a state representative, Winter came forward to allege she had been sexually harassed by a fellow Democratic state lawmaker, Rep. Steve Lebsock. The Colorado House ultimately voted to oust Lebsock, in large part because of Winter’s decision to speak about her experience.
Lebsock’s ouster led the legislature to bolster its workplace harassment policies and eventually hire someone for the first time to field complaints.
When she wasn’t at the Capitol, Winter worked to train Democratic women across the country on how to run for office. Before being elected to the Colorado legislature in 2014, Winter served on the Westminster City Council from 2007 to 2015.
McCluskie and Duran, in a statement, called Winter a “trailblazer” who “always fought for Colorado’s most vulnerable.”
Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, said “Winter was always there to challenge us to do unimaginable things in the service of the people who need the most help.”
Winter had health struggles during her time at the Capitol. In 2022, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that nearly killed her. A year later, she suffered a head injury in a bike accident. Then, in 2024, Winter briefly stepped away from her legislative work to seek medical treatment for alcoholism.
The decision to seek treatment came after she appeared to be intoxicated while attending a community hearing in Northglenn that year. The Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics found that Winter failed to meet the Senate’s ethics standards requiring that she promote public integrity and public confidence.
A Democratic vacancy committee in Senate District 25 will determine who will serve out Winter’s term.
“We will follow up with any information regarding the vacancy process once we’ve all collectively been able to take a breath, grieve, and process — that’s the most important thing we can do right now,” said Murib.
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.
