Arapahoe County Democrats select new legislator, days before lawmakers reconvene

Chad Clifford, a lobbyist and police officer, was selected by a Democratic vacancy committee Wednesday night to represent Greenwood Village and nearby Arapahoe County in the Colorado House this year, replacing a first-term legislator who resigned late last year.

Clifford will replace Ruby Dickson, House District 37’s first-term legislator who resigned in early December, just over a year after her election to the state House. Clifford’s tenure begins immediately: The legislature reconvenes for its annual four-month session in seven days, and he will join a supermajority of House Democrats recently rocked by infighting and facing a hefty agenda. Clifford, who was selected by a 41-person vacancy committee, will serve out the rest of Dickson’s term before facing a full election in November, if not a primary in June.

Two other candidates also vied to replace Dickson: Ashish Vaidya, an educator, and Kevin Biehl, a consultant who works for the Second Chance Center. The result took two votes, and Biehl was removed from the ballot after placing last in the initial tally. On the second vote, Clifford won by a vote of 22-19.

Clifford joins a growing list of Colorado lawmakers whose position in the Capitol was earned via a small vacancy committee, rather than a general election. The vacancy committee is controlled by the party that most recently won the seat and is typically composed of a several dozen active party members.

Dickson, an economist and one of the youngest members of the legislature, resigned last month, citing the “vitriolic” nature of politics. Her sudden departure from the Capitol came two weeks after a special legislative session that ultimately was marred by Democratic infighting amid protests related to the ongoing war in Gaza.

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