Morgan Carroll

Carroll first ran for the Colorado House of Representatives District 36 in 2004, defeating Republican Jim Parker 55%-45%.[9] She won reelection in 2006 with 62% of the vote against Republican Brian R. Boney.[10]

Carroll first ran for the Colorado State Senate District 29 in 2008, defeating Republican Suzanne Andrews 69%-31%.[11] She won re-election in 2012 with 59% of the vote, defeating Republican Bill Ross and Libertarian Michele Poague.[12]

Carroll sponsored lobbying disclosure laws in 2006 and 2014.[6] During her first year in office, she refused to discuss legislative issues with lobbyists during debate, a practice that led them to complain about her to the Democratic leadership.[13] Her first bill, a workers compensation measure that would allow injured workers to choose their own doctors, was opposed by 240 lobbyists and ultimately failed, as did the other two bills Carroll submitted that year.[13]

She is considered an environmentalist,[14] and has been criticized by lobbyists for oil and gas companies.[15]

In 2013, Carroll and fellow Democratic Representative Rhonda Fields sponsored Colorado House Bill 1229, which mandates universal background checks for gun purchases in the state.[16]

• Senate Judiciary Committee (Chair)[17][18][19]
• Executive Committee of the Legislative Council (Vice-Chair)[20]
• Legislative Council (Vice-Chair)[21]
• Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee[22]
• Senate Health and Human Services Committee[23][24]
• Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Reform Committee[25]
• Redistricting Committee[26]

Carroll was the 2016 Democratic nominee in Colorado's 6th congressional district. She was defeated by incumbent Republican Representative Mike Coffman in the general election, in which she won 42% of the vote.[4][27] Carroll was endorsed by Democratic Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper,[1] Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY's List, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the League of Conservation Voters.[4][28] A super PAC called Immigrant Voters Wins supported her, spending $10,000 as of September 2016.[29] Carroll raised the majority of her contributions from individual donors.[30]

Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy organization backed by the Koch family, alleged that Carroll had conflicts of interest while serving in the state senate. The Denver Post rated the claim somewhat true and wrote that AFP's claim of a conflict of interest was not true in that Carroll had not benefited from the bill, but that the Colorado Ethics Board of the General Assembly had ruled that lawmakers should proactively disclose "potential" conflicts of interest.[31]

After an unsuccessful campaign to become the next congressional representative for Colorado's 6th congressional district, Carroll shortly after announced her candidacy for the chairmanship of the Colorado Democratic Party. On March 11, 2017, Carroll was elected as the next Chairperson of the party. On December 2022, Carroll announced that she planned not to run for re-election for the position.[32]