Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser on Wednesday announced that Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper would be his lieutenant governor, meaning she would be leaving her commissioner seat open should he win the race in November.

However, Dahlkemper’s term was already set to expire at the end of the year and she had already declined to run for reelection. A Jefferson County spokesperson said the county was already expecting a new incoming commissioner in 2027 for Dahlkemper’s district, District 3.

Currently, state lawmaker Lisa Cutter has been nominated by the Jefferson County Democratic Party for the District 3 spot, while the local Republican Party has nominated Stephanie VandenBerg, a local business owner.

Additionally, District 2 Commissioner Andy Kerr is the Democratic nominee for county assessor and will face Vera King, the Republican nominee, meaning another vacancy may open in Jefferson County in 2027.

Dahlkemper has been a commissioner since 2018 and was formerly the president of Jeffco Public Schools’ board.

At a news conference Wednesday, Weiser, the attorney general of Colorado, said Dahlkemper’s experience in local government made her an obvious choice to be his running mate.

“We’re getting someone who is seasoned, who knows a range of issues inside and out, including wildfire risk reduction, including how we manage and conserve water, how we make housing more affordable, keep our communities safe, address the opioid crisis, support more effective early childhood education and so much more,” Weiser said. “She’s going to be an extraordinary asset to our administration.”

Dahlkemper is originally from Chicago and moved to Denver after obtaining a journalism degree from the University of Illinois. She previously worked as a journalist for Colorado Public Radio and was the outlet’s senior education reporter before switching gears and running a communications firm focused on education initiatives.

Dahlkemper was also previously the vice president of strategic engagement for the Colorado Education Initiative.

She is married to former Senate Minority Leader Mike Feeley and lives in southern Jefferson County. She has a daughter who attends college in San Francisco.