Julie Gonzales
Colorado State Senator
Candidate for US Senate
Democrat
Next Election
Colorado 2026 Democrat Primary • June 30, 2026
About Julie Gonzales
From a ranching family to the State Capitol, Julie Gonzales has spent her life turning organizing into action and values into results.
GROUNDED IN WORK, GUIDED BY JUSTICE
Senadora Julie Gonzales is a progressive Democrat representing north, west, and downtown Denver in the Colorado Senate. Julie’s roots run deep: her family has lived in Colorado since before it was a state. Julie was born in Arizona and raised in South Texas where her family found ranch work and opportunity.
Julie’s mom, once a rodeo queen who was widowed with two kids by the time she was 20, fought her way back to the classroom as an elementary school teacher. Her dad worked cattle and later became a medical cannabis producer. As the sixth of seven kids, Julie learned what her parents preached: relentless work, radical honesty, and to always lift as we climb.
FROM THE CLASSROOM TO COLORADO
In high school, Julie spent summers in Denver saving for college; after graduating from Yale, she came back to stay. An organizer at her core, Julie built people-powered campaigns for affordable housing, education equity, and immigrant rights – proving that when everyday people come together, we can win.
ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
Elected in 2018, Julie brought that organizing spirit into the Capitol and turned it into results. She enshrined abortion as a fundamental right, advanced voting rights, allocated millions of dollars to build and preserve affordable housing, strengthened protections for immigrant communities from ICE overreach, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, and repealed the death penalty. Julie’s approach is simple: put people first, take on entrenched power, and measure success by whether life gets better for working families.
LEADERSHIP WITH INTEGRITY
Julie currently serves as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of Local Government & Housing, and sits on Appropriations, Finance, Legal Services, and Legislative Council. Senadora Gonzales also co-chairs the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus. Colleagues and community advocates alike know Julie as a coalition builder who doesn’t shy away from tough fights and who insists that bipartisanship is a tool, not a trophy.
WHY SHE’S RUNNING
Julie’s story is proof of what one generation’s sacrifice can make possible. But she’s candid about the reality families face today: too many people are working just as hard without getting ahead because the rules are tilted toward the wealthy and well-connected. That’s why she’s running a people-powered campaign to lower costs, protect fundamental freedoms, and make sure Colorado is a place where every family can afford a home, see a doctor, and build a future with dignity.
PROUD TO CALL COLORADO HOME
Julie lives in Denver’s Jefferson Park neighborhood with her husband, Ben, and their beloved shih tzus, Panda and Beans.
GROUNDED IN WORK, GUIDED BY JUSTICE
Senadora Julie Gonzales is a progressive Democrat representing north, west, and downtown Denver in the Colorado Senate. Julie’s roots run deep: her family has lived in Colorado since before it was a state. Julie was born in Arizona and raised in South Texas where her family found ranch work and opportunity.
Julie’s mom, once a rodeo queen who was widowed with two kids by the time she was 20, fought her way back to the classroom as an elementary school teacher. Her dad worked cattle and later became a medical cannabis producer. As the sixth of seven kids, Julie learned what her parents preached: relentless work, radical honesty, and to always lift as we climb.
FROM THE CLASSROOM TO COLORADO
In high school, Julie spent summers in Denver saving for college; after graduating from Yale, she came back to stay. An organizer at her core, Julie built people-powered campaigns for affordable housing, education equity, and immigrant rights – proving that when everyday people come together, we can win.
ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE
Elected in 2018, Julie brought that organizing spirit into the Capitol and turned it into results. She enshrined abortion as a fundamental right, advanced voting rights, allocated millions of dollars to build and preserve affordable housing, strengthened protections for immigrant communities from ICE overreach, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, and repealed the death penalty. Julie’s approach is simple: put people first, take on entrenched power, and measure success by whether life gets better for working families.
LEADERSHIP WITH INTEGRITY
Julie currently serves as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of Local Government & Housing, and sits on Appropriations, Finance, Legal Services, and Legislative Council. Senadora Gonzales also co-chairs the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus. Colleagues and community advocates alike know Julie as a coalition builder who doesn’t shy away from tough fights and who insists that bipartisanship is a tool, not a trophy.
WHY SHE’S RUNNING
Julie’s story is proof of what one generation’s sacrifice can make possible. But she’s candid about the reality families face today: too many people are working just as hard without getting ahead because the rules are tilted toward the wealthy and well-connected. That’s why she’s running a people-powered campaign to lower costs, protect fundamental freedoms, and make sure Colorado is a place where every family can afford a home, see a doctor, and build a future with dignity.
PROUD TO CALL COLORADO HOME
Julie lives in Denver’s Jefferson Park neighborhood with her husband, Ben, and their beloved shih tzus, Panda and Beans.
Latest Updates
Candidate
Running for US Senate
Ballots are coming out soon for CO primaries. The rights and protections of myself, my neighbors, and my fellow Americans are under relentless attack. My top priority is voting for candidates who will fight back and meet the moment with backbone. Tha... more
Candidate
Running for US Senate
We’re canvassing all over the state! Join us by signing up through the link in my bio 💙
Candidate
Running for US Senate
Knock Knock! ✊🏽🚪 😇 Team Julie is knocking doors all across the state this weekend! Check the link in bio to find events near you!
Candidate
Running for US Senate
Get those signed ballots in by 7pm June 30th folks #elections #vote #civicengagement
The best messaging we need for congressional seats by the one and only @senadorajulie
Candidate
Running for US Senate
🗓️ Save the date! 🗓️
Join me for our House District 25 Town Hall next Thursday, June 11, from 5:00-6:30pm in Evergreen.
We’ll be hosting a community conversation to recap the recently concluded 2026 legislative session and look ahead at the cruci... more
Candidate
Running for US Senate
Denver!! I’m so excited to share that we have some incredible friends joining us for the biggest rally in Colorado! Comment “PEOPLE POWER” to RSVP. Together, we can take back our party, get big money out of our politics, and build a better world. See... more
Candidate
Running for US Senate
The primary election is June 30th, help us get Senedora Gonzales elected! We don't have to settle for corrupt, do-nothing Democrats like Hickenlooper, but we do need your help to win this primary. Join the people-powered campaign for Julie Gonzales a... more
Candidate
Running for US Senate
I hope she wins. Both of my “Democratic” senators voted for Trump’s nominees here in Michigan. Nothing is more revealing about who they are really fighting for than those votes, and it ain’t us.
Candidate
Running for US Senate
Should he accept the challenge?
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper launched his reelection campaign’s first TV ad Tuesday, a week before Colorado voters start receiving primary ballots, with a spot taking aim at the Trump administration’s foiled plans to sell public lands. Hickenlooper is facing a primary challenge from state Sen. Julie ...
The Colorado Sun interviewed the 2 Democrats running for U.S. Senate to see where they stand on the economy, healthcare, immigration and other top issues
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed a sweeping corrections bill that seeks to ease chronic overcrowding in state prisons by expanding earned‑time credits and launching a new working group to overhaul population management. Senate Bill 159, sponsored by Sens. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Juli...
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper hits screens Tuesday with his reelection campaign’s first statewide ad, recounting highlights of the Colorado Democrat’s business and political career. The 30-second spot, set to air on digital and streaming platforms, lands six weeks before the June 30 primary election, ...
Colorado lawmakers advanced two high‑profile measures Thursday—one reshaping how the state manages its strained prison population and another allowing Coloradans to sue federal immigration agents for alleged constitutional violations—sending both bills to Gov. Jared Polis as the legislative session ...
A panel of Colorado legislators on Tuesday rejected legislation that would have allowed residents to sue federal and local officials in state court for alleged constitutional violations. Sponsored by Sens. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, Senate Bill 176 would have allowed indi...
Colorado’s prison population plan was designed to prevent overcrowding. Instead, eight months after it was triggered, the system remains strained and largely ineffective, prompting two Democratic lawmakers to push for changes through new legislation. According to its sponsors, Senate Bill 036 lays o...
House Republican leaders had called on the three-term Gonzales to not seek reelection.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s campaign raised nearly $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2026 and plans to report more than $4 million on hand heading into Colorado’s June primary, the first-term Democrat’s campaign said Thursday. That brings Hickenlooper’s total receipts to about $9 million since ...
This is the second federal legislative proposal this year seeking to block Forest Service funding for permitting or review of the Berlaimont Estates project
Attorney General Phil Weiser’s name will appear first on Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot after his overwhelming win Saturday at the party’s state assembly in Pueblo. Weiser joins U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the June 30 primary for the office held by term-limited Gov. Jared Polis. ...
As Colorado Democrats prepare to designate candidates to the June primary ballot at the party’s state assembly in Pueblo on Saturday, three candidates appear poised to win top-line designation in downballot statewide races, according to data compiled by the state party. There isn’t much suspense abo...
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Amanda Gonzalez
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David Seligman
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State Sen. Julie Gonzales’ bid to challenge U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper in Colorado’s Democratic primary got a boost Tuesday from Indivisible when the national arm of the progressive grassroots group endorsed the Denver lawmaker. The national group’s endorsement comes less than a week before Gonzale...
Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper becomes first statewide candidate to submit nominating petitions
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper on Thursday became the first statewide candidate to submit petition signatures for Colorado’s June Democratic primary, according to his campaign and the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Seeking reelection to a second term, Hickenlooper is facing four primary challeng...
"Windows are getting smashed in cars. ... Five-foot-2, middle-aged women are being thrown to the ground,” said Sen. Mike Weissman, a bill sponsor.
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who is running for governor, told a newspaper this month that he favors suspending Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program, though he sounded less certain in another interview a few days later. “I think it’s right to suspend it for now and to try to see whether there’s any w...
Hickenlooper endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action, environmental group in Colorado’s US Senate race
A pair of progressive national groups that advocate for abortion rights and fighting climate change have endorsed U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s bid for reelection, with both calling the Colorado Democrat a proven fighter for their causes. Planned Parenthood Action Fund said in its endorsement statem...
Two Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation said this week that they plan to donate more than $100,000 received in campaign contributions from current and former employees of Denver-based firm Palantir Technologies to local nonprofits that assist immigrants and support civil rights...
Their donation announcements came after inquiries from The Colorado Sun last week and as criticism of Denver-based Palantir grows
Senate Approves Bill to Expand and Improve Colorado’s Red Flag Law Colorado Senate Democrats
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