One hundred lawmakers and dozens of lobbyists will arrive at the state Capitol on Wednesday for the start of the 2017 legislative session. But a handful will help set the tone and agenda.
Here is a look at key players to watch during the 2017 session:
Kevin Grantham, Senate president-designate
The Canon City lawmaker takes the helm of the state Senate with a one-vote Republican majority, 18-17. The softspoken, longtime political hand represents rural Colorado in a body that often divides itself on regional lines, and he enters with intimate knowledge of the appropriations process, after serving on the powerful Joint Budget Committee.
How Grantham manages his will set the tone for the session, because he will need to negotiate deals on taxes, transportation and energy issues.
Patrick Neville, House Republican leader
The Castle Rock Republican became the minority leader after forced the expected pick, Assistant Minority Leader Polly Lawrence, to withdraw from consideration.
The tea party camp’s victory against the party establishment suggests a hard-line approach to the session, given Neville’s strong opposition to abortion and gun regulations. Neville comes from a : His father is state Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, and his brother, Joe Neville, is the former lobbyist for the National Association for Gun Rights and the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.
Donna Lynne, lieutenant governor
The joined Gov. John Hickenlooper’s team but is making an immediate mark. Lynne assumed a dual role as the administration’s chief operating officer and is pushing a “good government” initiative that dovetails with her customer service approach to state government.
But her intimate knowledge of the health care industry will put her in an even more prominent role as the state braces for changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor.
Bob Rankin, Republican budget writer
The Carbondale representative is a moderate Republican in a GOP caucus that tilts hard to the right. His colleagues from the powerful Joint Budget Committee post for breaking ranks in the past two years and compromising with Democrats.
Now with a target on his back, Rankin is in the hot seat as the evenly split budget committee tries to reach middle ground to erase a deficit and set spending levels for the budget that begins July 1.
Crisanta Duran, House speaker-designate
The first Latina speaker is getting plenty of attention as a rising star, given her new post in the Democratic-controlled House and her recent speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Whether Duran, a former union attorney from a family of Pueblo steel mill workers, can tap into her story and set an agenda to unite a fractured Democratic Party ahead of the 2018 elections will define her legacy.