State Rep. Jarvis Caldwell elected to lead Colorado House Republicans

Republicans in the state house have a new leader, and he may be the youngest ever in Colorado.

State Rep. Jarvis Caldwell of Monument is 36 years old and represents District 20. He won 60% of the vote to become the minority leader.

He takes over for Rose Pugliese, who stepped down earlier this week, citing time with family and a toxic environment at the Capitol as the reasons for her departure.

"We're in a moment we may never see again," Caldwell told his caucus.

He says the state is at a turning point, noting polls showing Democrats' approval rating is underwater, the state budget is in the red, and Colorado's crime rate is above the national average. "What I hear every single day is that people aren't happy with the way things are going in Colorado, and they want to help now more than ever," said Caldwell.  

He says young people especially want to be more engaged amid rising political violence, including Charlie Kirk's death, "I think I can really speak to that being a millennial myself, being not much older than Charlie Kirk was."

Caldwell takes the helm amid heightened tension in the House after a Republican took a picture of a Democratic colleague and shared it with other GOP members, some of whom made degrading remarks.

Caldwell, among those who voted to condemn the behavior, said, "I'm not coming in here to look backwards. I'm focusing on moving forward."

He says he will fight to lower crime and the cost of living, but he says he will do so respectfully and hold his caucus to the same standard: "We have to bring that temperature down."

An Air Force veteran, husband, and father of two, Caldwell has only been in office a year, and his party is outnumbered nearly two-to-one in the House.

But he says momentum is shifting, "The cost of living, housing, inflation, these are things we hear about every single day. So, we're going to definitely reach out and say, 'Hey, it doesn't have to be this way. There is another way, and we have ideas and we want to share those with you.'"

Democratic Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie and House Majority Leader Monica Duran issued a statement congratulating Caldwell for earning the trust of his Republican colleagues, "Stepping up to run for a leadership position is a commendable act of service, and our doors are always open. While I'm sure we will disagree on many issues, we always seek common ground where possible, and we look forward to working together to foster a respectful environment to do the people's work in the House."