State Democratic Party treasurer Mark Ferrandino will replace state Rep. Mike Cerbo, a Denver Democrat who resigned from the legislature to lead the Colorado AFL-CIO.
Ferrandino, 30, was selected 23-3 by the House District 2 vacancy committee Wednesday night.
Ferrandino is a budget analyst for the Colorado Department of Health Care and Financing and has been the Democrats’ treasurer since 2005. He will resign from both positions when he becomes a state lawmaker, he said.
Ferrandino also has worked as a White House policy analyst, estimating interest on public debt for the federal budget. His political career goes back to 1997, when he was an intern for then-Rep. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
Ferrandino, who will be the first openly gay man in the state legislature, also is on the board of directors for the National Stonewall Democrats, a network of lesbian and gay Democratic activists across the country.
He said his first priority will be affordable health care in Colorado. The son of two public-school teachers, Ferrandino said he also will focus on improving public education.
