Only a few hours after state Sen. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, announced he would resign to join the administration of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, the scramble is underway for his Senate District 21 seat.

The first to announce was Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, who already filed for the Senate seat for the 2024 election. 

Moreno, who was term-limited for 2024, said his resignation will be effective around Sept. 1. A Senate District 21 Democratic vacancy committee will choose a successor after he steps down.

In a statement Friday, Michaelson Jenet, who has represented House District 30 (and House District 32, after redistricting) since 2017, said, “I want to continue my work in the legislature to make sure that Colorado’s kids are protected, make sure that our communities of color receive the equitable investments that they have historically been denied, and to make sure Colorado continues to expand our renewable energy infrastructure to help fight climate change.” 

Michaelson Jenet has already been endorsed for the 2024 election by Moreno and state Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Commerce City, who also lives in Senate District 21, as well as 17 other Democratic members of the state House and Senate.

Michaelson Jenet is a staunch advocate for mental health services, including for youth. She sponsored the 2021 law that mandated health insurance coverage for annual mental health exams, a fight she was willing to wage with Gov. Jared Polis, who had told lawmakers he didn’t want to see any more health insurance mandates because they would drive up health care costs.

Polis vetoed Michaelson Jenet’s 2020 effort, but he signed the 2021 bill into law.

Gov. Jared Polis to General Assembly: No more health insurance mandates, please

Michaelson Jenet currently serves on the House Education Committee as chair of the Public and Behavioral Health Care & Human Services Committee and on the joint Legislative Audit Committee. 

Of her predecessor, she said, “My dear friend, Senator Dominick Moreno, has been an incredible leader and representative for our community. Dominick has moved Colorado forward in innumerable ways, and although he leaves behind big shoes to fill, I am committed to continue providing Senate District 21 with the thoughtful, tenacious, and dedicated public service exhibited by Senator Moreno.”

Moreno will become Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s deputy chief of staff for strategy. He has served as the Senate Majority Leader since 2022 and in the legislature since the 2013 session.

The other scramble is over who will become the next Senate Majority Leader.

Among the names already surfacing are Sen. Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, who confirmed he was “seriously” considering it; Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver; and, Sen Faith Winter, D-Westminster, who confirmed to Colorado Politics she also intends to seek that position.