A Democratic vacancy committee last week selected Jillaire McMillan, a first-time candidate and small business owner from Weld County, as the Democratic nominee for House District 19, a highly competitive seat that includes eastern Boulder County.
“While I believe my combination of public service, community relationships, and nonpartisan advocacy has uniquely prepared me to be the candidate and legislator HD19 needs, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for the experience of being a candidate,” McMillan said in a statement. “This condensed process packed so much work and emotion into a short time. I want to thank my kids for telling me to ‘Go for it!’ and my husband for being supportive every time I’ve come home and told him what I just volunteered to do.”
She will run against Dan Woog, a Republican who narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022, in the upcoming general election.
McMillan’s selection by a vacancy committee comes after State Rep. Jennifer Parenti, a first-term Democrat from Erie, announced in July that she was not running for reelection, citing the job’s conflicts with her values.