Leslie Herod

Leslie Herod (born 1982) is an American politician who is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 8th district. She is the first gay African-American to be elected to Colorado's state legislature.[1]

Leslie Herod
Leslie Herod greeting voters watching the 2017 Park Hill Fourth of July parade.
Leslie Herod greeting voters watching the 2017 Park Hill Fourth of July parade
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 8th district
Assumed office
January 10, 2017
Preceded byBeth McCann
Personal details
Born1982 (age 40–41)
Germany
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
OccupationPolitician

Biography

Herod was born in 1982 on a United States military base in Germany. She moved around much of her early life, as her mother was an officer in the United States Army Nurse Corps. Herod attended high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2] She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2017, Herod completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.[3]

Political career

Herod defeated fellow Democrat Aaron Goldhamer in the Democratic primary for 8th district seat for the Colorado House of Representatives. In the general election, she defeated Republican Evan Vanderpool, winning 84.81% of the vote.[4]

Herod ran unopposed in both the Democratic primary and the general election in 2018[4] and 2020.[4] Herod’s state House campaign went delinquent in filing her 2020 personal financial disclosures, accruing $15,200 in penalties, which the Colorado Secretary of State waived for $50[5][6]

She ran for Mayor of Denver in 2023. She was publicly accused of workplace and sexual harassment during her campaign[7][8][9] which she denied.[10]

The election took place on April 4, 2023,[11] with Herod placing fifth with 10.7% of the vote, therefore being eliminated in the first round of the election.[12][13] In the runoff election, Herod endorsed former rival Mike Johnston. Candidate Kelly Brough, Johnston's opponent in the runoff, subsequently alleged that Herod had sought a guaranteed job in Brough's administration in exchange for endorsing her instead.[14] Johnston claimed he made no such deal with Herod, though he did subsequently name her as Chair of his Inauguration Committee.[15]

In 2023, amid a housing shortage in Denver, Herod opposed the redevelopment of an abandoned Denver golf course into 2,500 homes (including affordable housing) and commercial space. She said that she would rather see housing built somewhere else in Denver.[16]

References
  1. "Gay America’s Harrowing, Heartening Year". The New Yorker, December 31, 2016.
  2. Gardner, Natasha (February 2019). "State Representative Leslie Herod Has a Story to Share". 5280. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  3. Imse, Elliot. "10 LGBTQ Public Officials Selected for Prestigious Bohnett Leaders Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School". LGBTQ Victory Institute. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  4. "Leslie Herod". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. Sengenberger, Jimmy (April 21, 2023). "Leslie Herod's mayoral bid bombs | Jimmy Sengenberger". The Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. Markus, Ben (January 6, 2023). "Leslie Herod got a $15,200 state penalty for not filing a personal financial disclosure for nearly a year". Denverite. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  7. Frank, John (March 6, 2023). "Inside Leslie Herod's leadership that some say led to toxic workplace culture". Axios Denver. pp. All. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  8. Goodland, Marianne (March 21, 2013). "Inside the office of state Rep. Leslie Herod: High intensity or workplace harassment?". Colorado Politics. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  9. Markus, Ben (March 6, 2023). "Former Leslie Herod aide says her time in the mayoral candidate's office was 'degrading'". Denverite. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  10. Sengenberger, Jimmy (March 10, 2023). "COLUMN: Leslie Herod's 'toxic' mayoral candidacy | Jimmy Sengenberger". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  11. Metzger, Hannah (September 8, 2022). "State Rep. Leslie Herod joins race for Denver mayor". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  12. "It's official: Denver mayoral candidates Mike Johnston, Kelly Brough will advance to June runoff election".
  13. "Mike Johnston and Kelly Brough are heading to the Denver mayoral election runoff, according to latest results".
  14. Rubino, Joe (May 25, 2023). "Kelly Brough alleges Rep. Leslie Herod sought a job guarantee in exchange for mayoral endorsement". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  15. Flynn, Colleen (June 9, 2023). "Mayor-elect Mike Johnston announces transition team". KDVR Fox 31 News. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  16. Demsas, Jerusalem (2023-05-25). "Colorado's Ingenious Idea for Solving the Housing Crisis". The Atlantic.


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