Katie Wallace, a Longmont Democrat, was selected on March 18 by a Democratic vacancy committee to represent Senate District 17. She won with 58.8% of the vote.
The district spans Longmont, Lafayette and Erie. The vacancy committee included at least 114 Democratic Party members from Boulder and Weld counties who voted virtually on Zoom.
Wallace, who grew up in Lafayette, said she has worked in public service for over a decade, starting as an organizer for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. She later served as an aide to former state Rep. Mike Foote of Lafayette and worked on the policy team for U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse. She also volunteered as vice chair of the Boulder County Democratic Party.
Wallace has cited her family’s experiences when laying out her priorities. Her grandfather immigrated from Poland after World War II, having escaped a concentration camp. “We have to fight for everyone in our communities and for our democracy,” she said during Tuesday’s vacancy committee meeting.
Raised by a single mother who lost her first home during the Great Recession, Wallace said she will advocate for affordable housing, holding developers accountable and helping working-class families enter the housing market. She said she is also a renter.
Wallace pledged to push for stronger regulations on oil and gas drilling and a transition to renewable energy. In addressing the state’s budget shortfall, she said she would fight to preserve funding for Medicaid, public schools, food assistance and childcare programs.
“Through 13 years of grassroots organizing in our neighborhoods and making policy on behalf of us in both the statehouse and Congress, I learned that change happens when we listen first, act second, and never stop fighting for what’s right,” she said. “That’s the kind of leader I’ll be for you. One who works alongside you, fights for you and ensures your voices are brought to the table.”
Wallace received endorsements from several current and former Boulder County legislators, including Rep. Karen McCormick of Longmont, Rep. Kyle Brown of Louisville and Sen. Judy Amabile of Boulder.
The seat opened up earlier this month and drew a crowded field after Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, resigned amid an ethics probe into her treatment of legislative aides and staffers. Jaquez Lewis said she was stepping down for an opportunity to work for a nonprofit.