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Colorado Senate swears in Adrienne Benavidez after SD 21 vacancy win

By March 2, 2026 | updated 5 days ago

Sen. Adrienne Benavidez, D-Adams County, was sworn in Monday to the Colorado Senate, just four days after winning a vacancy election in District 21.

She was sworn in by Colorado Court of Appeals Justice Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov. Usually, that role is handled by a member of the Colorado Supreme Court, but the high court justices were unavailable as they were attending the swearing-in of their newest justice, Susan Blanco.

Benavidez beat several other contenders for the office, winning 52.6% of the vote on the first ballot in the Feb. 26 election.

She replaces Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who resigned to become the new director of the David and Laura Merage Foundation for Combating Antisemitism.

While a law changing the vacancy process was passed by lawmakers in the 2025 session, the bill’s sponsors indicated they did not expect it to affect any vacancy elections until 2027.

However, the state Democratic Party confirmed that the candidates for the SD 21 vacancy met all the requirements set under the 2025 law.

Benavidez will have to run for the seat this November if she chooses to hold it past the end of Michaelson Jenet’s term, which ends with the convening of the General Assembly next January.

As of Monday, she had not filed to run for the seat, and no one from any political affiliation has filed for the Senate District 21 seat.

With her election, vacancy committees have now selected 26 members of the General Assembly, including one lawmaker who has won two vacancy elections, to fill 27 seats in the legislature.

Senate Democrats last week chose Sen. Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins to serve out the remainder of Michaelson Jenet’s term as President Pro Tempore.

There are no more vacancies, at least for now, in the Colorado General Assembly.

Of the 26 lawmakers chosen by vacancy committees at some point in their legislative time, five in the House and five in the Senate, not including Benavidez, will be campaigning for their seats in front of all voters for the first time in the 2026 election

Four of the five House members – Reps. Scott Slaugh, Jamie Jackson, Ava Flanell, and Kenny Nguyen currently have primary challengers. Two of the five Senate members – Sens. Lynda Zamora Wilson and William Lindstedt – also have primary challengers.

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Marianne Goodland

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Colorado Senate swears in Adrienne Benavidez after district vacancy win

Sen. Adrienne Benavidez, a Democrat from Adams County, was sworn in Monday to the Colorado Senate, just four days after winning a vacancy election in District 21. She was sworn in by Colorado Court of Appeals Justice Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov. Usually, that role is handled by a member of the Colorado Supreme Court, […]
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