Three candidates are seeking an appointment to the state House District 33 seat after the former representative’s move to the state Senate in the wake of state Sen. Faith Winter’s death in a November crash.
State Sen. William Lindstedt formerly served in the state House for District 33, which includes Broomfield, a part of Adams County and a small portion of Weld County, according to the state legislative maps webpage. Lindstedt was appointed to the state Senate in late December to replace Winter.
Winter, 45, was killed in a crash on Interstate 25 in the Centennial area after she rear-ended a pickup truck, according to a news release from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. Her blood alcohol concentration, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office, was above Colorado’s legal limit.
State Sen. Faith Winter legally drunk at time of fatal crash, investigators find
Lindstedt’s appointment left a vacancy in House District 33 that is set to be filled Monday by a vacancy committee, according to the Colorado Democratic Party’s website. Vacancies are overseen by the political party of the previous member, according to the website. The party sends out a notice to vacancy committee members and invites them to participate and vote, the website says.
There are three candidates in the running for HD33, the website says.
Kenny Nguyen, one of the candidates for the appointment, is currently one of the members on the Broomfield City Council and was elected in 2023, according to the city’s website. Nguyen said he has structured much of his life around public service, and was inspired to run for the City Council during his tenure as Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera’s executive assistant.
His campaign for the district seat began in June, Nguyen said.
“Throughout this process, I realized that there’s few Asian Americans, and few young people, who are actively involved or serving as elected officials, and it blows my mind,” Nguyen said. “It really pushed me into making that decision to represent and fight for affordability, for labor and for progressives.”
Heidi Henkel, also a Broomfield City Council member, is also seeking the appointment.
“The vacancy process is not what anyone wants, but it’s necessary so District 33 is represented in what will be a significant session,” Henkel said in a statement. “I look forward to making my case to primary voters, but this process is fortunately transparent and includes grassroot representatives from local organizers to elected county councilmembers and commissioners who understand the needs of the district.”
Henkel won election to City Council in 2019 and was reelected in 2023, according to the city’s website.
“I’ve been running for this seat for 7 months already so I am ready to hit the ground running — listening to constituents, collaborating with local leaders, not giving an inch to the federal chaos, and doing the day-to-day work of legislating on behalf of Broomfield, Adams, and Weld counties,” Henkel said.
Stan Jezierski is also running for the appointment and is the only candidate of the three that will not be running for the district seat this fall in the normal election process. (After someone wins the vacancy appointment, the House district still has a regular election slated for this November.)
“My appointment (would) preserve the integrity of the ongoing caucus/primary,” Jezierski said in a text message, adding that his appointment would preserve an “equal playing field” for the November election.
“There is some concern that appointing (a candidate who is running in the fall) to the vacancy will unduly tip the scales in that candidate’s favor” by making them the incumbent, Jezierski said.
Jezierski served on the Broomfield City Council for about eight years ending in 2023, according to the city’s list of past council members, and was mayor pro tem for the last 2 ½ years of his time on the council, he said. Jezierski was elected vice chair of the Broomfield County Democrats last year, and he recused himself “from all party activity” since declaring his intent for the vacancy, he said.
The vacancy committee is set to meet virtually for a candidate forum and “for the purpose of electing” a new representative to fill the seat 5 p.m. Monday, according to the party’s website. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Colorado Democratic Party’s YouTube page at tinyurl.com/HD33vacancy, according to the party’s site. The public can share thoughts for the vacancy committee and the candidates at tinyurl.com/HD33vacancycomment.