Morgan Carroll
Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party
In office
March 11, 2017 – April 1, 2023
Preceded byRick Palacio
Succeeded byShad Murib
President of the Colorado Senate
In office
September 10, 2013 – January 7, 2015
Preceded byJohn Morse
Succeeded byBill Cadman
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 29th district
In office
January 10, 2009 – January 10, 2017
Preceded byBob Hagedorn
Succeeded byRhonda Fields
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 36th district
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2009
Preceded byFrank Weddig
Succeeded bySu Ryden
Personal details
Born (1971-11-24) November 24, 1971
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Colorado, Denver (BA)
University of Colorado, Boulder (JD)

Morgan Lenore Carroll (born November 24, 1971) is an American politician from Colorado and was the Chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party. A Democrat, Carroll represented Colorado House District 36 in the city of Aurora from 2004 to 2008, and she represented the state's 29th Senate district from 2009 to 2017.[1] Carroll served as President of the Colorado State Senate from 2013 to 2014 and as minority leader in 2015.[1] Carroll stepped down as minority leader in July 2015 to unsuccessfully run against incumbent Republican Mike Coffman for Colorado's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.[2][3] In addition to her legislative work, Carroll works for the law firm of Bachus & Schanker.

Early life and education

Morgan Carroll was born November 24, 1971, in Denver, Colorado, to John Carroll and Rebecca Bradley. Her father was a lawyer who served as a Colorado State Representative for Adams County between 1964 and 1974.[4] Her mother was an attorney and Carroll's partner at the mother/daughter disability and family-law firm Carroll & Bradley in Aurora from 2000 to 2010.[5]

When Carroll was young, she helped care for her father after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and later, Alzheimer's. Her family experienced financial difficulties during that time.[4]

Carroll graduated from Boulder High School in 1990. She worked various jobs, including at a gas station and fast-food restaurant, to pay for her education.[6][7] She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in 1996 and from the University of Colorado Law School in 2000.[8]

Colorado State Legislature

Colorado House of Representatives

Carroll first ran for the Colorado House of Representatives District 36 in 2004, defeating Republican Jim Parker 55%-45%.[9] She won reelection in 2006 with 62% of the vote against Republican Brian R. Boney.[10]

Colorado State Senate

Carroll first ran for the Colorado State Senate District 29 in 2008, defeating Republican Suzanne Andrews 69%-31%.[11] She won re-election in 2012 with 59% of the vote, defeating Republican Bill Ross and Libertarian Michele Poague.[12]

Colorado State Senate District 29 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Morgan Carroll 30,149 58.75
Republican William "Bill" D. Ross II 18,745 36.53
Libertarian Michele R. Poague 2,420 4.72
Total votes 51,314 100

Tenure

Carroll sponsored lobbying disclosure laws in 2006 and 2014.[6] During her first year in office, she refused to discuss legislative issues with lobbyists during debate, a practice that led them to complain about her to the Democratic leadership.[13] Her first bill, a workers compensation measure that would allow injured workers to choose their own doctors, was opposed by 240 lobbyists and ultimately failed, as did the other two bills Carroll submitted that year.[13]

She is considered an environmentalist,[14] and has been criticized by lobbyists for oil and gas companies.[15]

In 2013, Carroll and fellow Democratic Representative Rhonda Fields sponsored Colorado House Bill 1229, which mandates universal background checks for gun purchases in the state.[16]

Colorado State Senate Committee assignments

  • Senate Judiciary Committee (chair)[17][18][19]
  • Executive Committee of the Legislative Council (Vice-chair)[20]
  • Legislative Council (Vice-chair)[21]
  • Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee[22]
  • Senate Health and Human Services Committee[23][24]
  • Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Reform Committee[25]
  • Redistricting Committee[26]

2016 U.S. Congress campaign

Carroll was the 2016 Democratic nominee in Colorado's 6th congressional district. She was defeated by incumbent Republican Representative Mike Coffman in the general election, in which she won 42% of the vote.[4][27] Carroll was endorsed by Democratic Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper,[1] Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY's List, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the League of Conservation Voters.[4][28] A super PAC called Immigrant Voters Wins supported her, spending $10,000 as of September 2016.[29] Carroll raised the majority of her contributions from individual donors.[30]

Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy organization backed by the Koch family, alleged that Carroll had conflicts of interest while serving in the state senate. The Denver Post rated the claim somewhat true and wrote that AFP's claim of a conflict of interest was not true in that Carroll had not benefited from the bill, but that the Colorado Ethics Board of the General Assembly had ruled that lawmakers should proactively disclose "potential" conflicts of interest.[31]

Colorado Democratic Party

After an unsuccessful campaign to become the next congressional representative for Colorado's 6th congressional district, Carroll shortly after announced her candidacy for the chairmanship of the Colorado Democratic Party. On March 11, 2017, Carroll was elected as the next chairperson of the party. In December 2022, Carroll announced that she planned not to run for re-election for the position.[32]

Personal life

Carroll was briefly married and is now divorced.[13] Her longtime partner and former campaign manager, Mike Weissman, is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives.[6][13] Carroll is the author of Take Back Your Government: A Citizen's Guide to Grassroots Change (2011).[5][33]

References

  1. 1 2 3 AP (September 15, 2015). "Mike Coffman's Democratic challenger touts governor's backing". The Gazette. Colorado Springs. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Bartels, Lyn (July 9, 2015). "Democrat Lucia Guzman to become Senate minority leader". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sapin, Rachel. "Aurora Sen. Morgan Carroll will step down as senate minority leader". The Aurora Sentinel. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sapin, Rachel (July 7, 2015). "State Sen. Morgan Carroll makes official her battle against Mike Coffman for Aurora's congressional seat". Aurora Sentinel. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Gardner, Natasha (October 2012). "The Contender: Could state Senator Morgan Carroll become Colorado's first female governor?". 5280. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "State Sen. Morgan Carroll makes official her battle against Mike Coffman for Aurora's congressional seat - Aurora Sentinel". July 7, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Colorado's 10 most influential women". Denver Post. May 4, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  8. ↑ "About Morgan". State Senator Morgan Carroll. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2004 General Election (PDF) (Report). Office of the Colorado Secretary of State. p. 110.
  10. ↑ Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2006 General Election (PDF) (Report). Office of the Colorado Secretary of State. p. 114.
  11. ↑ Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2008 General Election (PDF) (Report). Office of the Colorado Secretary of State. p. 105.
  12. ↑ "2011-2012 Abstract of Votes Cast: General Election State Senate Results". Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "The Contender". September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Environmentalists also upset over lobbyists email mistake". FOX31 Denver. January 26, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Accidental email attachment lands lobbyist in hot water with Senate majority leader". The Spot. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  16. ↑ Parker, Ryan (March 11, 2013). "Colorado gun bills: Universal background checks passed in Senate, heads to House". Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  17. ↑ "2010 Senate Judiciary". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  18. ↑ "2011 Senate Judiciary". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  19. ↑ "2012 Senate Judicial". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  20. ↑ "2014 Executive Committee of the Legislative Council". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  21. ↑ "2014 Legislative Council". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ "2012 Senate Agriculture". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  23. ↑ "2010 Senate Health and Human Services". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  24. ↑ "2011 Senate Health". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  25. ↑ "2011 Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Reform". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Committee Information". Colorado General Assembly: Redistricting in Colorado.
  27. ↑ Murray, Jon (November 8, 2016). "Mike Coffman defeats Morgan Carroll in latest attempt by Democrats to win seat". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  28. ↑ Yachnin, Jennifer (December 15, 2015). "Enviros back Coffman foe in competitive Colo. district". Environment & Energy Daily. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  29. ↑ Hutchins, Corey (September 7, 2016). "Colorado's 6th District race: Mike Coffman vs. Morgan Carroll, a primer". Colorado Independent. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Coffman outpaces Carroll again in quarterly CD6 fundraising, holds big cash lead - Aurora Sentinel". July 19, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Fact Check: Did Morgan Carroll have a conflict of interest when she was state senator? – The Denver Post". Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  32. ↑ Gorman, Tony. "Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll to step down after six years". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  33. ↑ Whipple, Kelsey (February 22, 2012). "Morgan Carroll's new book teaches readers how to Take Back Your Government". Westword. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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