New Castle resident and former House District 57 representative Perry Will was appointed to fill the Senate District 5 vacancy, the Colorado Republican State Senate District 5 Committee announced Saturday in a news release.

The committee met Saturday in Montrose to determine who would fill the vacancy following Sen. Bob Rankin’s retirement announcement.

Will was chosen by a majority of the committee on the first ballot, the release states. His appointment will run for the remainder of Rankin’s term through 2024, when he will have to decide whether or not to run for election in that year’s election cycle.

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“The vacancy committee, comprised of the district officers, County Republican Party Chairs/Vice-Chairs and Secretaries from the seven counties that make up the 5th Senate District and Republican State Representatives whom reside within the 5th Senate District, heard lengthy presentations from two prospective candidates, along with a robust question and answer period for each candidate,” the release states.

The other candidate seeking the nomination was Zachary Parsons of Glenwood Springs, said Philip Vaughn, Garfield County resident and chairman of the Republican Senate District 5 Vacancy Committee.

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This is the second time Will was chosen to fill a vacancy in the Colorado Legislature. He was appointed to represent HD57 in 2019 before winning election in 2020. He was defeated in November 2022 by Democratic challenger Elizabeth Velasco.

“We are excited to have Perry Will as our new State Senator and look forward to his representation in this important upcoming legislative session,” Vaughan said in the news release.