Senate Democrats on Monday elected Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, as the next president pro tempore.

Kipp replaced former Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, who resigned her seat earlier this month.

Kipp faced off against Sen. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs. The vote total was not announced, although caucus Chair Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, said 12 votes would be sufficient to win.

There are 22 members of the Senate Democratic caucus.

Kipp currently chairs the Senate Finance Committee and also serves on the education and agriculture committees.

She was the sponsor of a 2025 bill that would have substantially changed the state’s open records law, but Gov. Jared Polis vetoed it. She’s carrying a similar bill this year.

The measure would give custodians of public records more time to respond to those requests, from three days to five, with an additional 10 days, up from seven days under current law.

Several groups oppose Senate Bill 107, including Colorado Common Cause, the Colorado Press Association and the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. The bill is supported by numerous school boards, special districts and county governments.

The president pro tempore, or pro tem for short, takes over when the president is off the dais. That can happen when Senate President James Coleman introduces visitors — Kipp joked he does that a lot — or has other responsibilities that may take him out of the chamber.

“In leadership, our role is to govern the chamber effectively and fairly, build relationships, and serve with a good conscience and a strong moral compass. I’m supremely confident in the leadership of Senator Kipp and look forward to working closely together to deliver for the people of Colorado,” Coleman, D-Denver, said in a statement.

Kipp said she looks forward to serving the caucus as “an extra set of eyes and ears, fill in for the President when necessary, and ensure that everyone — legislators, staff, visitors, and constituents — is treated with dignity and respect.” 

A vacancy committee on Feb. 26 will choose Michaelson Jenet’s replacement for the Senate District 21 seat.

Six candidates are vying for the seat, none of them current lawmakers.

With that replacement, 26 current lawmakers will have gained their initial seats through the vacancy process. That number dropped when Michaelson Jenet resigned. One lawmaker, Sen. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, has now won two vacancy elections, both for the House and Senate.