Colorado’s new seat in Congress gets first well-known candidate: state Rep. Caraveo

Colorado state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat, is the first well-known candidate to put their name in the hat for the state’s newest seat in Congress.

Caraveo, a pediatrician, announced her formal bid for the 2022 election on Tuesday. The Latina lawmaker, who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has championed progressive legislation around public health, housing, the environment and the criminal justice system. She joined the state Legislature in 2019 and is currently the vice chair of the House Health & Insurance Committee.

“I’ll fight for Colorado’s families and make sure that their voices are heard. I would be so proud to be the first Latina in Congress from Colorado,” Caraveo, who is a member of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, said in a video announcing her candidacy.

In 2013, Caraveo was honored by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for her advocacy work while attending medical school. She was recognized for her work with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington D.C, specifically regarding the public health impacts of climate change.

The boundaries of the new district — Colorado’s eighth — have not been finalized yet. A preliminary map places it in Denver’s northern, Democratic-leaning suburbs.

Colorado is among six states this year that gained at least one congressional seat in the 2022 election as a result of population increases over the last decade. The state’s population has grown from 5,044,930 in 2010 to 5,773,714 in 2020 — a nearly 15% increase. This year, two independent commissions will decide where to draw the state’s legislative and congressional districts. 

The commissions are rapidly approaching the finish line for the once-in-a-decade process of redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative maps using updated population data. The new congressional map must be submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court by Oct. 8.