Colorado Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Glenwood Springs Democrat, said that she will seek a third term in the state House in the November 2026 General Election. 

Velasco represents House District 57, which encompasses Pitkin, Garfield and parts of Eagle County. 

The region had long been represented by Republicans, but after redistricting in 2021, Velasco won elections in 2022 and 2024 by a 7.8-percentage-point margin and an 11.6-point margin, respectively. 

In an email to supporters on Wednesday, Velasco touted her history-making election as the first Latina, first Mexican-born immigrant and the first openly LGBTQ+ state legislator from the Western Slope.

“Together we’ve proven that the Western Slope is progressive, resilient and ready to thrive,” Velasco wrote in her message to supporters. 

If re-elected, Velasco said her priorities will include protecting reproductive freedom, health care access and rights for LGBTQ+, immigrant, disabled and marginalized communities. She also listed wildfire preparedness, access to clean air and water, strong public schools and child care for every family as part of her goals. 

Velasco has a background in language services and communications. She founded and runs the Colorado-based Spanish interpretation and translation firm Velasco Colorado, and worked as a public information officer for the White River National Forest, with a focus on outreach to Spanish-speaking communities. 

In the state legislature, Velasco has sponsored bills to expand language access, bolster protections for mobile home park residents, improve safety on Interstate 70 and invest in wildfire mitigation and preparedness. 

Protections for immigrants have also been a top legislative priority for Velasco, who was a prime sponsor of this year’s Senate Bill 276, which built on many of the state’s existing immigration policies and was signed into law in May by Gov. Jared Polis. 

The measure further limits how much the state can interact with federal immigration officials, extending a prohibition on information sharing between state agencies and federal officers to also include local governments and the state’s legislative and judicial branches — except in cases where a criminal warrant has been issued. 

SB 276 also seeks to limit federal immigration enforcement in places like schools, hospitals and child care centers, make it easier for undocumented immigrants to apply for a state ID or in-state tuition, give undocumented immigrants more rights during misdemeanor proceedings and empower the governor to deny access to states sending their National Guard or other military troops into Colorado to carry out federal immigration policy.

Velasco also supported efforts to ban what lawmakers have defined as “assault weapons,” including semiautomatic firearms, which progressive Democrats tried and failed twice to do in recent years. 

This year, however, Democrats succeeded in passing a scaled-back measure, Senate Bill 3, that will require permits and training to purchase most semiautomatic guns starting next summer. Velasco voted for that bill. 

Velasco serves on three legislative committees that have to do with energy and environment; agriculture, water and natural resources; and appropriations. She also chairs the Wildfire Matter Review Committee, which considers wildfire-related bills, and was elected this year as the House Democratic co-whip, a key leadership position.