Some women have been leading for a generation. Some are just getting started. But each of these Democratic trailblazers has something in common—she’s driving positive change for Colorado. During Women's History Month, we celebrate these pioneering congresswomen.
Yadira Caraveo: She’s Historic
In 2022, pediatrician Yadira Caraveo became Colorado’s first Latina Representative of our new United States 8th Congressional District. Determined, positive and upbeat, Caraveo has dedicated her life to serving Colorado. She’s seen first-hand how high costs, slow wage growth and inaccessible healthcare have pushed the American Dream further out of reach for Colorado families. And after a particularly difficult fight with an insurance company, Caraveo was driven to run for elected office so she could advocate for systemic change to help her patients and community.
Brittany Pettersen: She’s Groundbreaking
Rep. Brittany Pettersen was elected in 2022, becoming the first woman to represent Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. The hard-working Pettersen was also the first in her family to graduate both high school and college. She served in the Colorado state legislature for a decade, where she sponsored and passed legislation ranging from gun safety measures, to one of the country’s strongest Equal Pay for Equal Work laws, to protecting access to reproductive healthcare, to lowering health insurance premiums for Coloradans. Today, she is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance and the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions.
Diana DeGette: She’s Winning
Rep. Diana DeGette is a fourth-generation Coloradan who has dedicated her life to serving the people of Colorado's First Congressional District. A strikingly effective leader now in her fourteenth term, DeGette is recognized as a leading voice in the nation's health care debate. As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, DeGette has played a leading role in overseeing the nation's healthcare agencies and the nation’s overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s also led numerous efforts to ensure the nation's environmental laws are being properly enforced, lower the cost of insulin for millions of Americans and take on the climate crisis. As co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, DeGette has been leading the fight to restore the protections we had under Roe v. Wade. And she gets things done. In 2018, the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress awarded DeGette with its Statesmanship award for her efforts to pass legislation in a collaborative and bipartisan manner.
Dianne Primavera: She’s Fearless
Dianne Primavera is serving her second term as Colorado’s 50th Lieutenant Governor. In her role, she leads six programs: the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, the Office of eHealth Innovation, the Colorado Disability Funding Committee and Disability Policy, the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, Serve Colorado, and Aerospace and Defense.
In 1988, Dianne was a single mom raising two daughters in Colorado when she received a terminal breast cancer diagnosis and was told she had five years to live. Since her first diagnosis, Dianne battled cancer three more times and survived when many people feared she wouldn’t live to see her daughters grow up. Her personal experience with cancer inspired her to make it her life’s work to ensure every Coloradan has access to affordable, high quality health care. Throughout her service, Dianne has been highly regarded for her success working across the aisle to pass legislation advocating for people with disabilities, expanding access to health care and supporting Coloradans’ access to quality cancer screenings and treatment.