Members of the Colorado House Democratic caucus elected Representative Velasco as a caucus co‑whip for the 75th General Assembly after nominating three candidates and conducting an anonymous paper‑ballot vote.

The election followed the caucus’s adoption of rules for the House majority whip election, which the chair presented as the same rules used in November and scheduled for January 10, 2025. The caucus chair said the rules require nominators and seconders to speak for one minute each and give candidates four minutes to address the caucus; ballots would be anonymous, collected and tallied by caucus staff, and staff would not reveal who voted for whom.

Nut graf: The co‑whip position is charged with tracking members’ locations and votes on the House floor to help leaders manage debate and timing. Candidates emphasized floor presence, communication with leadership, and the mechanics of protecting members’ bills as key duties of the role.

Representative Shannon Byrd, Vice Chair of the Joint Budget Committee, nominated Representative Sheila Leiter. Byrd said Leiter "has always been able to collaborate and bring different groups together" and described her experience running bipartisan legislation. Representative Liza Hamrick, a classroom teacher and labor organizer, seconded the nomination and praised Leiter’s labor and organizational experience.

Representative Sheila Leiter accepted the nomination and told colleagues she would prioritize staying on the House floor to monitor debate and keep leadership informed so votes are not delayed or lost. "If your whips do not know where you are, then we could lose the vote or delay the vote," Leiter said, describing the tactical role whips play during floor sessions.

Representative Carter nominated Representative English, and Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon seconded that nomination. Bacon described English’s community programs and experience supporting young people as evidence of leadership and organizational skills. Representative English said she would bring "structure, accountability, and unwavering dedication" to the whip role and emphasized empathy and results‑orientation in her approach.

Majority Leader Duran and Representative Mabry nominated Representative Velasco. In her remarks, Representative Velasco said she represents House District 57 on the Western Slope and highlighted her work on emergency response, language access and affordability. "This is my 3rd session. I am the 1st Mexican born legislator elected to the Colorado legislature, the 1st Latina from the western slope," Velasco said, and asked for the caucus’s support to help manage the calendar and defend caucus priorities.

Caucus staff distributed anonymous paper ballots and collected them for tallying. The chair announced that staff had tabulated the results and declared that the vote produced a clear majority; the chair then announced, "Representative Velasco is elected as the COWIP for the 75th General Assembly." The exact ballot counts were not disclosed, consistent with the procedures described at the start of the meeting.

The meeting also included a brief clarification about the size of the caucus and the majority threshold: the chair noted the caucus rolls include 43 seats with one vacancy, making a majority 21; members discussed that with 42 members present a 21‑vote count could represent exactly 50 percent, which could produce a tied runoff under certain conditions.

Ending: The chair thanked candidates and staff, congratulated Representative Velasco, and adjourned the caucus meeting.