A vacancy committee of Arapahoe County Democrats elected Jamie Jackson to serve as the state representative for House District 41, replacing Sen. Iman Jodeh, who left the position to serve in the Senate. 

Jackson, the COO of the nonprofit organization The Naloxone Project and vice president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, received 52% of the vote, enough to garner a simple majority and win the vacancy election. 

Community activist Aly DeWillis-Marcano and Aurora School Board president Anne Keke also ran for the seat.  

DeWillis-Marcano, a former staffer for U.S. Rep. Jason Crow and the wife of former Aurora City Council member Juan Marcano, promised to champion progressive causes and fight back against the Trump administration. 

“We have seen the way that this new federal administration will wield power to endanger the rights and safety of our neighbors,” she said. “We need leaders who will stand up and speak out. To protect Colorado, we don’t need to be calm and polished in the face of encroaching fascism. We need leadership that is ready to fight for our values and for our people.”

DeWillis-Marcano spoke of her experience growing up in poverty, being a wheelchair user and a member of the LGBTQ community, all of which she believed would help her better understand her constituents from different walks of life. 

“We can make a little bit of history tonight in HD 41,” she said. “If I’m elected, I’ll be the first LGBTQ representative of HD 41 and the first woman wheelchair user elected to office in Colorado.” 

As president of the Aurora Public Schools board, Keke said she has helped implement positive changes for HD 41’s students, including increasing teacher pay, hiring over 250 additional mental health professionals, and passing a $1 billion bond. 

“I wake up motivated to improve education outcomes and equity for our students and educators, to address the affordable housing crisis, and to create better economic opportunities so we can deliver on the promise of America for all Coloradans,” she said. 

A native of Cote d’Ivoire who moved to Colorado in the early 2000s, Keke has also served on the Colorado Association of School Boards, the Aurora Police Department Citizen Oversight Committee, and Aurora’s Charter School Review Committee. 

Jackson, who also serves as the criminal justice chairperson for the Aurora NAACP and worked for an organization that helped formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society, said she has a lifelong commitment to helping others.

“I’m a proven leader who’s been doing the work in our community and at the Capitol, and I’m ready to bring that experience to this role,” she said. “Together we can create a healthier, more affordable and just future for HD 41.”

Jackson received 10 of the 19 committee votes, while Keke received seven and DeWillis-Marcano received two. 

“I just want to thank everyone for your belief in me, I do not take this lightly,” Jackson said after being declared the winner.  “I really am looking forward to serving our community together and being able to uplift each other.”

Jackson’s election brings the total number of female legislators to 52, the most in state history.