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November 06, 2008 11:31 PM UTC

Speaker Terrance Carroll

  • 32 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

As the Rocky Mountain News reports:

Democrats today elected Rep. Terrance Carroll of Denver as their speaker after a wild race for the top post in Colorado’s House of Representatives.

In addition, Senate Democrats re-elected Peter Groff of Denver as their Senate president.

That means for the first time that two black men hold the most powerful positions in Colorado’s legislature, where the Ku Klux Klan once controlled the House, Senate and governor’s seat.

Both Democrats and Republicans gathered at the state Capitol today to pick new leaders after Tuesday’s election.

Although Democrats retained their majority in the Senate and the House, the mood was at times somber, in part because Rep. Bernie Buescher, who had been expected to take over from Andrew Romanoff as speaker, lost his re-election bid.

The paved the way for a three-way race for speaker, with Carroll defeating Reps. Anne McGihon of Denver and Kathleen Curry of Gunnison for the speaker’s post.

Of the candidates who stepped forward, Carroll was the clear choice–we just weren’t sure he wanted the job. Rep. Anne McGihon’s bid was not considered serious by persons other than her, it became clear after Bernie Buescher’s unexpected loss that she had no real support–and had bullied for what she managed to get.

And Colorado gets another precedent-setting moment in an already proud week.

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32 thoughts on “Speaker Terrance Carroll”

  2. I have admired and respected Speaker-elect Carroll’s work since I first became aware of him.

    We went from KKK control to black House Speaker, black Senate President, and sending 9 electors to the EC to vote for the first black POTUS– all in less than three generations.

  4. Congratulations to Speaker designate Carroll. He will bring a sense of pragmatism and wisdom to the second most powerful position in the state. His toughest challenge will be standing up to the liberals in his caucus as they attempt to bully him into bad decisions.

  5. The person who the Governor chooses to replace Coffman must be qualified for sure.

    The other thing that they have to be able to do is win a statewide election in 2 years. Just something to keep in mind.

  6. I would doubt that you were there – McGihon had pretty good support from her colleagues and more support for becoming speaker than did Kathleen Curry; they had to go to a runoff vote between Carroll and McGihon to decide the slot.

      1. She pointed out the need for a speaker from a rural area, particularly since she was close to Buescher both as a legislator and in that same part of the state.

        Her downfall, however, was telling everyone she intended to keep her family and ranch as top priority and try to balance that with being speaker, which some had said is a 24/7 job. Several people in the room observed it cost her the race.

      1. I don’t think McGihon would have become speaker either; I just disagreed with your contention that she had no support other than her own. She proved otherwise today.

  7. Ds just made her whip.

    Speaker of the House, Rep. Terrance Carroll, Denver

    Majority Leader, Rep.  Paul Weissmann, Louisville

    Assistant Majority Leader, Rep. Andy Kerr, Lakewood

    Majority Caucus Chair, Rep. Karen Middleton, Aurora

    Assistant Caucus Chair, Rep-elect Sal Pace, Pueblo

    Majority Whip, Rep. Claire Levy, Boulder

    Deputy Whip, Rep. Randy Fischer, Fort Collins

    1. The Mesa County R’s will weep what they’ve sewn.

      (Misspellings/typos intentional – a play on the fact that Bradford’s business involves sewing.)

      1. Its Josh Penry of Grand Junction as minority leader, Greg Brophy of Wray as asst minority leader.  Mike Kopp of Lakewood got the caucus chair and nancy spence the newly created post of caucus whip.

         Now, can anybody tell me what a caucus whip does?

          1. “caucus whip” is a job created this year.

            Don’t confuse it with deputy minority leader, which is usually known as whip.  That post went to Brophy.

            If we’ve never had a caucus whip before, and we haven’t, I repeat: can anybody tell me what a caucus whip does?

             (You lose two points for bad dominatrix jokes, by the way.)

            1. but I understand your confusion.

              Generally the caucus whip is a bigger, badder whip.  Brophy will be responsible for the overall votes, what we’re used to as whips will take care of their respective chamber’s ultimate votes.

              I’ve never heard of a state doing this, it’s usually part of a country’s larger government (Congress, Parliament).

              1. Including the minority leader, the whip and the caucus chairman. Adding a caucus whip gives us four chiefs to lead 10 Indians.

                The reality is they were desperate to put one woman in a leadership post and add a second metro area leader to a team dominated by rural politicians. Caucus whip is a polite way of pretending to meet both objectives.

                1. doesn’t trust the House GOP, but I assume you’d know that kind of Senate gossip.  So I’ll go with your thinking that they added a leadership position for the sake of adding a leadership position.  A shame, the former would be infinitely more interesting.

              1. state constitution (GAVEL amendment) prohibits the binding caucus. How do you discipline members for not honoring commitments that the coinstitution prohibits them from honoring?

                But glad to have you back anyway, girl!

                1. Your question rises above the 8th grade curriculm.

                  Maybe the caucus whip ensures the members arrive on time and stay awake.

                  Do you know the answer?

    2. She is my representative and has improved since 2006.  I would like to see her more involved in the forest heath/pine beetle and wildfire issues.  She and Dan Gibbs are a great combination for Gilpin County’s needs.

  8. the R’s have proven that they have learned nothing from their mistakes, failures and shameful defeats by choosing the most far right extremist uberCon in Colorado as their Senate minority leader, in Josh Penry.  

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