DENVER — Governor-elect Phil Weiser won in decisive fashion on Election Day, then spoke about what his cabinet could look like the next day.
“If you're Republican, you're unaffiliated, you're a Democrat, I want you to apply because we need the very best people we can get to build the leadership that Colorado deserves,” he said.
A week later, Weiser announced his first picks for his cabinet Tuesday, including a prominent Republican.
Weiser is nominating GOP State Senator and Minority Leader Cleave Simpson to be Colorado’s next Agriculture Commissioner.
A farmer and rancher from the San Luis Valley, Simpson's website boasts the slogans ‘Rural Proud’ and ‘Rural Strong.’ He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines and Alamosa High School.
“I’m grateful to Governor-elect Phil Weiser for asking me to serve,” Simpson said in a statement. “On our family farm in the San Luis Valley, the water we have each spring shapes what we can grow that year. Farmers and ranchers across Colorado make decisions like that every day. If confirmed, I’ll bring their experience to the governor’s cabinet and work with producers to keep land in agriculture for the next generation.”
“Senator Cleave Simpson is a true public servant who cares about rural Colorado, understands deeply the challenges we are facing, and is committed to working with all of Colorado to build a better future,” Weiser added in a statement. “I’m honored to have him as part of my cabinet as the Commissioner of Agriculture and look forward to working with him to deliver results for our state.”
GOP weighs in
State Senator and Assistant Minority Leader Lisa Frizell says Republicans are “thrilled” for Sen. Simpson, adding that he will work to address overlooked issued in rural Colorado like road infrastructure.
“It's great for rural Colorado to get the attention that they really deserve,” Frizell told Denver7. “This particular appointment is incredibly important. I look to it as Governor-Elect Weiser's olive branch to rural Colorado, and hopefully making some amends for how they've been treated over the last eight years.”
Denver7 political expert Alton Dillard referred to Gov. Jared Polis skipping gubernatorial debates on the Western Slope as a candidate in both 2018 and 2022.
“We’re coming off of eight years of a governor who, back when he was candidate for governor, blew off Club 20, which is the group of 20 western counties, and that, at the time, been sort of unheard of,” Dillard said. “[After this cabinet pick] there's going to be a feeling of a couple things that Governor-elect Weiser is really working to bridge that urban-rural divide.”
The move also presents questions for Republicans. If Simpson is confirmed, a vacancy committee will select his replacement in the legislature. The GOP will also elect caucus leaders, including a new Minority Leader, this Saturday.
Dillard says that may not hurt Republicans this time because their caucus will be vastly outnumbered with Democrats seizing a supermajority this election in both the State House and Senate. That gives them even more power in committees, more ability to propose Constitutional amendments, and the ability to override vetos from Weiser.
“The way that this legislature is setting up, Republicans are essentially not really needed, and that's not necessarily saying that's a good thing for the state,” Dillard said. “You want some of that tension. You want some of those dual voices.”
Sen. Frizell says she will be one of those throwing her hat into the ring for new Minority Leader, but admits it will likely be more challenging as a caucus during the next session and that the party is likely to lose committee seats.
“[Democratic] Senator [Dylan] Roberts is a good guy to work with, and I think that we will be able to really figure this out and have positive relationships again wherever possible,” Frizell said.
When asked about Democrats’ dominance in Colorado and nationwide this election, Frizell said Republicans are still “unpacking” the results and she thinks “that's going to take some time.”
“We can't do that just myopically,” she said. “We have to look at what happened nationwide and whether those are changes that we can affect here.”
She adds that it’s important to “keep things in perspective.”
“This is a great state, and we are all here because we love it,” she said. “I’m here because I love it… I want to make sure that all Coloradans hold their elected officials accountable and responsible, and make sure that they earn your vote. So two years from now, when we are at this again, you have a good idea of the track record of the person or people who have been representing you.”
Other Weiser cabinet picks
Weiser also nominated former Fort Collins Mayor and former State Rep. Jeni Arndt as Director of Rural Advancement, current Deputy Attorney General Scott Steinbrecher as Senior Director of Water Policy, and former State Senator and Majority Leader Dominick Moreno as the Governor's Office next budget director. Moreno previously served on the state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, and is currently serving as Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
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