CO State Senator Angela Williams Announces Campaign For US Senate

DENVER, CO — Angela Williams, who represents District 33 in the Colorado State Senate, will vie for the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Senator Cory Gardner. Williams has served three years in the state senate and six years in the state house. She's the only sitting state legislator in the race.

In her campaign, Williams is calling for an end to what she calls "the divisive policies" of Senator Cory Gardner and President Donald Trump.

“For me, politics is personal,” Williams said in a statement. “Throughout my career in public service and in the private sector, I’ve been driven by the values of hard work, honesty, and standing up for others. Those are the values I want to take to the United States Senate.

Williams said Gardner and Trump have "sought to divide Coloradans and Americans."

"Their days of standing up for special interests at the expense of working families in Colorado are over," Williams said. "I’m eager to go to Washington to bridge the divide and tackle the toughest challenges facing our state and our nation.”

Williams said she's driven by her passion for helping the underserved and those who do not have a voice. She first ran for office in 2009, and was elected representative for the diverse House District 7 in the Colorado House of Representatives. During her six years in the house, she served as Chair of the Business Affairs & Labor and Audit Committee and was the first African American female to serve as the House Majority Caucus Chair. Williams founded the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus and helped elect what is now known as the Historic Eight, the largest number of black legislators to serve simultaneously in the history of Colorado.

In 2017, Williams ran successfully for the Colorado State Senate, and currently serves as the senator for District 33. She is Chairwoman of the Business Labor & Technology Committee and Vice-Chair of the Local Government Committee.

Williams has focused on bringing labor organizations and the business community together to solve challenges, promoting legislation that advances equity for women, rebuilding trust between communities and police, fighting to increase the use of body cameras, increasing police department transparency and improving police training. She also led the effort to reform Colorado’s 40-year old telecommunications laws and 80-year old liquor laws.

Williams' accomplishments in the Colorado legislature include passing the ASSET law, which allows undocumented students to attend college with in-state tuition. She also passed the Compensation for the Wrongly Convicted Law, which compensates exonerated people with $70,000 for each year spent in prison. She is also proud of the passing of the 2019 FAMLI bill, which will create a family medical leave program after a study and implementation period.