March 17, 2025 12:21 PM UTC

Rep. Joe Neguse Still The Hardest Working Dem In D.C.

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• by: Colorado Pols

With no shortage of bad news to keep us down, it’s refreshing to have something unassailably positive to mention like Friday’s brief story from Ernest Luning of the Colorado Springs Gazette’s political blog acknowledging the continuing success of Colorado’s highest-ranking U.S. House Democrat, Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse of Boulder–who continued to deliver results in the form of signed legislation even in a House controlled by the other party for the last two years:

According to GovTrack.US, an independent legislative tracking service, Neguse sponsored eight bills that made it to Joe Biden’s desk and got the president’s signature in the 118th Congress, in session from 2023-2024, finishing just behind Nebraska Republican Don Bacon, who wrote nine bills that became law.

Two years ago, Neguse topped the ranking for most bills enacted in the previous, 117th Congress, which ran from 2021-2022, with 13 laws to his name. In that roundup, he was followed by Bacon, who was credited with 11.

In the report covering the most recently concluded Congress, GovTrack also listed Neguse in the top spot among House members in two categories — working with the other chamber and writing bipartisan bills. The former measures how many bills a legislator introduced in tandem with a companion bill in the other chamber, and the latter counts the number of bills introduced with a cosponsor from across the aisle.

Rep. Neguse’s swift rise to Democratic House leadership and success at getting legislation signed into law in adverse political climates has led to a wide-open range of higher offices to consider, including a short-list possible run for governor in 2026–the only complicating factor being whether Neguse in his leadership role in the House is a better utilization of his considerable skills.

Neguse’s enduring effectiveness as a lawmaker is…refreshing in comparison to how certain other members of Colorado’s congressional delegation make the news. Neguse is a success story that transcends the daily polls, and offers light at the end of the tunnel for Democrats looking for a way forward.

That felt good to read, didn’t it?