DENVER—Colorado Senate Democrats selected two new leaders on Friday without casting a single ballot.
They unanimously picked Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer of Longmont to replace Peter Groff as president and Sen. John Morse of Colorado Springs to succeed Shaffer as majority leader.
Realizing they didn’t have the votes, Sen. Abel Tapia and Sen. Betty Boyd backed out of the race to replace Groff and threw their support behind Shaffer, a lawyer and a former officer in the Navy.
Morse was also picked without opposition. He’s a former police chief who has also worked as an accountant and paramedic and holds a Ph.D. in public administration. His job will be mainly to control when bills get debated on the Senate floor.
The session is set to end by May 6 and Groff, the first black lawmaker to serve as Senate president, will remain in his post until then. He’s leaving to take a job in the Obama administration as director of faith-based community initiatives for the U.S. Department of Education.
Shaffer, whose election must still be formally ratified by the full Senate, and Morse are set to assume their jobs the following day. GOP Senate leader Josh Penry offered congratulations to both.
Unlike Groff and his predecessor, Joan Fitz-Gerald, Shaffer and Morse have never served in the minority. Shaffer was elected in 2004, when Democrats took control of the Legislature for the first time in 30 years. Morse was elected two years later as the first Democratic senator from El Paso County since 1974.
Groff has often been praised by members of both parties for his elegant and inspirational speeches and Shaffer acknowledged that wasn’t his strength. Reading from some notes, he promised to focus on moving the state toward the future rather than seeing issues through the lens of right and left. He also said he would help recruit candidates with a variety of backgrounds to run for office.
“I will also recommit myself to make sure there is diversity in our caucus,” he said.
Morse drew praise for helping the caucus stay focused on its core values. Groff called him the “moral compass” of the group.
Both new leaders have tackled controversial legislation.
Shaffer is the sponsor of the bill that would give the state greater control over Pinnacol Assurance that became a key part of the debate over balancing the state’s budget.
Morse, a former member of the Joint Budget Committee, is trying get rid of spending limits within the state budget. He also wants to overhaul criminal sentencing laws so fewer nonviolent offenders end up in prison. District attorneys oppose that bill because they say it will also affect how much time violent criminals spend behind bars.
At the election meeting in a crowded conference room, Groff urged Democrats to stay focused on their values and not worry about holding onto the majority.
“As long as you remember that you’ll keep 21 seats or 22 seats or whatever is the target,” Groff said.
Democrats now hold 21 seats in the Senate. The Republicans have 14.
