EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs announced her resignation Sunday evening, effective Monday, Sept. 15.
Pugliese has represented House District 14 since January 2023.
In 2024, she was chosen as minority leader in her first term after then-Minority Leader Mike Lynch of Wellington resigned, following a drunk driving arrest he had not disclosed to the House, including his caucus.
Under her leadership, the House Republicans, which had been losing numbers, began to regain ground. In the 2024 election, the caucus grew from a historic low of 19 to 22 members.
In a letter to friends and supporters, Pugliese said the last day of the recently concluded special session was “sad and disappointing. I had no other choice but to bear witness to the collapse of integrity in the Colorado State House of Representatives. The lies and hypocrisies the Majority spewed were beyond what I had ever expected, even in Colorado politics. It has been degraded, and the one word that is at the top of my mind is toxic.”
During that last day, House Democrats sought a resolution condemning the actions of former Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud. Armagost had taken a photo of Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, and passed it along to his Republican colleagues via the Signal app.
That led to crude jokes about her attire, and later, the photo was posted on a conservative social media account on X. That resulted in threats, including those against her and her school-age children.
The resolution’s reading turned into a battle between the majority and minority leaders.
Pugliese criticized what she called challenges to her character and integrity, primarily by House Majority Leader Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge.
“My character has been assaulted, and I have a right to defend myself,” Pugliese said. “I have had to clear my name, and that’s unfair.”
Pugliese also cited in her letter some of the tragic events of the past week, including the school shooting in Evergreen, the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, and the 9/11 anniversary.
“The week, simply put, overwhelmed us all with emotion,” she wrote.
Pugliese said she’s spent months reflecting on her life choices, particularly as they apply to her children. She is a single mother with two children.
“There is nothing more important in my life than them,” she said. “They have made so many sacrifices for me to be able to represent you. But they also need their mom right now, and I need to keep them safe. So, we have made the decision to return to Mesa County. I believe the three of us need some time at ‘home’ right now.”
She said walking away is one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, and it has been an honor to serve the people of House District 14.
She added that she’s also proud of the legislation she’s passed, which includes more than 40 bills signed into law during her three years in the House. Most of the bills signed into law were bipartisan, she said.
Pugliese told Colorado Politics that she is most proud of three accomplishments: House Bill 25-1270, the “Patients’ Right to Try Individualized Treatments” bill, which allows specialized treatments for individuals under certain circumstances; House Bill 23-1037, which enables emergency placement for children removed from their homes; and a property tax bill passed during last year’s special session.
Along with Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, Pugliese helped run the campaign to defeat Proposition HH in 2023, a property tax initiative.
She said she’s worked tirelessly to successfully lower property taxes, fight for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, and protect children and families.
“The opportunity to change lives with good policy was and is a dream come true,” she wrote.
Pugliese closed by saying her “thoughts and prayers are with the hardworking legislators that I call colleagues, friends, and some, family. I pray they can find a path forward that places policy over personalities, and my hope is that truth and honor prevail for the Institution and those they have been elected to serve.”
A native of New York and a first-generation American, Pugliese is the first woman in her family to attend college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Villanova and a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.
She moved to Mesa County in 2007 and served two terms on the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners, from 2013 to 2021. In 2019, she and then-Monument Mayor Don Wilson led an unsuccessful effort to overturn the legislature’s passage of a law adding Colorado to the National Popular Vote compact.
Pugliese’s resignation will result in a GOP vacancy committee that will choose her replacement within the next 30 days.
The Gazette's Marianne Goodland contributed to this report.
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