Lucía Guzmán

Lucía Guzmán is a politician from Colorado. Appointed to the Colorado Senate in May 2010, Guzmán represented Senate District 34 in Denver. She was elected to full four-year terms in 2010 and 2014.

Guzmán is the former executive director of the City and County of Denver's Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships, having been appointed by Mayor John Hickenlooper in 2003. She is a former member of the Denver Public Schools Board, serving from 1999 to 2007. An ordained minister, Guzmán was executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches from 1994 to 1999.

2010 appointment

Guzmán announced her candidacy to succeed the term-limited Paula Sandoval in the Colorado Senate in July 2009. She was the sole candidate to be placed on the primary ballot for the seat by the Democratic Party district assembly in April 2010, although state representative Joel Judd announced that he would try to make the primary ballot via the petition route. When Paula Sandoval was elected to Denver City Council in May 2010, Guzmán was the only candidate to run to fill the vacancy. A vacancy committee of precinct committee officers of the Democratic party elected her to fill the vacancy by acclamation. She took the oath of office on May 21, 2010.

2010 election

In the Democratic primary election held on August 10, 2010, Guzmán faced Judd for a four-year senate term and won with 62% of the vote. In the general election which took place on November 2, 2010, she easily outpaced her Republican opponent, taking 78% of the vote.

Guzmán is a lesbian. She is one of eight openly LGBT current or former members of the Colorado General Assembly, including senators Pat Steadman (D–Denver) and Jessie Ulibarri (D–Commerce City), as well as representatives Leslie Herod (D–Denver), Mark Ferrandino (D–Denver), Paul Rosenthal (D–Denver), Dominick Moreno (D–Commerce City), Joann Ginal (D–Fort Collins) and Sue Schafer (D–Wheat Ridge).