Kathleen Curry
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 61st district
In office
2005–2011
Preceded byGregg Rippy
Succeeded byRoger Wilson
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Independent
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst (BS)
Colorado State University

Kathleen Curry is an American politician who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from the 61st district from 2005 to 2011, as a member of the Democratic and independent. She was appointed to serve as Speaker Pro-tempore by Speaker Terrance Carroll before leaving the Democratic Party in 2009.

Early life and education

Kathleen Curry graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and natural resource economics and a master's degree in water resources planning and management from the Colorado State University.[1]

Colorado House of Representatives

Elections

Representative Gregg Rippy, a Republican, did not seek reelection to the Colorado House of Representatives and instead ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.[2] Curry ran for a seat in the state house from the 61st district with the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican nominee Becky Rippy and Libertarian nominee Dale F. Reed in the 2004 election.[3] She faced no opposition in the 2006 and 2008 elections.[4][5]

Curry left the Democratic Party on December 28, 2009, to become an independent stating that it would be misleading to voters to run as a member of the Democratic Party when she was not aligned with the party's ideology due to her fiscally conservative stances.[6][7] She submitted petitions to run as an independent for reelection in the 2010 election, but under Colorado law she had to run as a write-in candidate as she had been a member of a qualified party in the preceding year. Legislation by Curry to get rid of the restriction was passed, but did not take effect until 2011.[8][9] During the campaign her write-in candidacy was endorsed by The Denver Post.[10] Curry lost in the general election to Democratic nominee Roger Wilson, but placed ahead of Republican nominee Luke Korkowski.[11] She won a lawsuit in which the court ruled that write-in votes where the voter forgot to fill in the oval next to the write-in line would still count.[12]

She ran in the 2012 election as an independent and appeared on the ballot, but placed third out of five candidates and behind Democratic nominee Millie Hamner and Republican nominee Debra Irvine.[9][13] Had Curry won she would have been the first independent elected to the state house since 1900.[14]

Representative Marc Catlin, a Republican from the 58th district, is term-limited in the 2024 election. In June 2023, Curry returned to the Democratic Party and announced her campaign on August 16.[15]

Tenure

Curry served as chair of the Agriculture committee in the state house. Speaker Terrance Carroll appointed Curry as Speaker Pro-tempore, the second highest ranking position in the state house, in an attempt to keep her in the Democratic Party.[16][17] During her tenure in the state house over 90% of her legislation was passed.[18] She lost her position as chair of the Agriculture committee and as Speaker Pro-tempore after leaving the Democratic Party with Representative Randy Fischer replacing her as chair and Representative Buffie McFadyen replacing her as Speaker Pro-tempore.[19]

Later life

Curry endorsed former Speaker Andrew Romanoff for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate during the 2020 election.[20]

Electoral history

2004 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district Democratic primary[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 2,642 100.00%
Total votes 2,642 100.00%
2004 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 20,398 60.76%
Republican Becky Rippy 12,320 36.70%
Libertarian Dale F. Reed 851 2.54%
Total votes 27,942 100.00%
2006 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district Democratic primary[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 487 100.00%
Total votes 487 100.00%
2006 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 20,733 100.00%
Total votes 20,733 100.00%
2008 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district Democratic primary[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 1,031 100.00%
Total votes 1,031 100.00%
2008 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Curry 28,012 100.00%
Total votes 28,012 100.00%
2010 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Roger Wilson 9,657 34.56%
Independent Kathleen Curry (incumbent) (write-in) 9,298 33.28%
Republican Luke Korkowski 8,987 32.16%
Total votes 27,942 100.00%
2012 Colorado House of Representatives 61st district election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Millie Hamner (incumbent) 19,621 47.40%
Republican Debra Irvine 14,124 34.12%
Independent Kathleen Curry 5,732 13.85%
Libertarian Ellen Temby 1,132 2.73%
American Constitution Robert E. Petrowsky 783 1.89%
Total votes 41,392 100.00%

References

  1. ↑ "Q&A with Kathleen Curry An independent voice amid the partisan divide". Colorado Politics. May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Another Rippy runs?". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. January 31, 2004. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "2004 election results" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "2006 election results" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "2008 election results" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Unaffiliated Curry says party change was welcomed". Aspen Daily News. January 5, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ "State Rep. Kathleen Curry switches party affiliation". The Colorado Independent. December 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Kathleen Curry, Colorado's Only Independent Legislator, Opens Campaign Office and Submits Petition". Ballot Access News. June 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Kathleen Curry, Former Colorado Legislator Who Switched to Independent and was Barred from the Ballot, Will Try Again". Ballot Access News. June 7, 2012. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Denver Post Endorses Kathleen Curry, Write-in Independent Legislator, for Re-Election". Ballot Access News. October 18, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "2010 election results" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. p. 131. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Kathleen Curry Wins Lawsuit Over Counting Write-in Votes". Ballot Access News. November 6, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "2012 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Kathleen Curry May Become First Person to be Elected to Colorado Legislator, without a Major Party Nomination, since 1900". Ballot Access News. June 19, 2012. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Kathleen Curry runs for state House, returns to Democratic fold". Colorado Politics. August 16, 2023. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Why Kathleen Curry Dropped Colorado's Democratic Party". 5280. December 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Curry named House speaker pro tem". Fort Collins Coloradoan. November 12, 2008. p. 4. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "W. Slope legislators advance agendas". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. June 5, 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Glenwood audience receptive to Curry move". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. January 6, 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Hundreds of current, former elected officials endorse Andrew Romanoff in U.S. Senate primary". Colorado Politics. May 28, 2019. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
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