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Rep. Dylan Roberts announces run for Colorado Senate

Alison Berg
Steamboat Pilot & Today

Rep. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat from Avon, has represented the states 26th District, which includes all of Routt and Eagle counties, since 2017. l John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Rep. Dylan Roberts, the Democrat representing Routt and Eagle counties in the Colorado House of Representatives, announced Wednesday he will run for the District 8 state senate seat in the 2022 election.

The newly created district includes much of Northwest Colorado, as well as counties near Interstate 70 that include ski resort communities like Vail and Breckenridge.

In July, Roberts announced his plan to run for the senate before the state finalized its redistricting efforts, and at the time, that district did not include Routt County. The final iteration of maps approved by the Colorado Supreme Court saw the addition of Routt County and exclusion of Chaffee, Gunnison, Lake and Pitkin counties in District 8.



The new district leans blue, as in eight statewide elections dating back to 2016, voters in the district favored Democrats by 6.6%, according to data from the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission. The closest of those races saw voters choose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by 1.8% in the 2016 presidential election.

The new District 8 includes Routt, Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Summit counties.



Roberts grew up in Steamboat Springs, joined the Legislature in 2017 and is currently serving his second term.

Throughout his time, Roberts has pushed legislation to lower health insurance premiums and prescription drug costs, protect water resources and promote economic development in rural areas. He pioneered some of the first laws in the nation to reign in the cost of life-sustaining insulin for people with diabetes, according to a news release.

“There is more work to do,” Roberts said in the news release. “Our region needs a strong, effective, and bipartisan voice at the Capitol and I will be that voice — someone who focuses on our district’s needs and puts results over partisan politics.

“I am running for the state senate to ensure our mountain and rural communities remain a place where people can live, work, and raise their families.”

Roberts has collected a number of endorsements including all three Routt County commissioners, who are each Democrats.

The previous senate district that included Robert’s home in Avon is currently held by Democratic Sen. Kerry Donovan, but she had announced a campaign to challenge Third Congressional District Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Republican from Silt.

Donovan has since dropped out of that race when the Colorado’s new congressional maps didn’t include her home in Vail or family ranch in Wolcott. Both places are now in the state’s Second Congressional District, a seat currently held by Boulder Democrat Joe Neguse.

Republican Sen. Bob Rankin currently holds the Senate District 8 seat, but the new drawing of the district does not include his home of Carbondale. Rankin lives within what is now District 5, but he is not up for reelection until 2024 and will remain in the state senate.

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