Katie Barrett

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Katie Barrett

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Graduate

University of Colorado Denver, 1995

Personal

Birthplace

San Rafael, Calif.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Katie Barrett (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 45. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Barrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Katie Barrett was born in San Rafael, California. She attended Arizona State University and Metropolitan State University, receiving a B.S. in biology and chemistry in 1985, and the University of Colorado at Denver, receiving an M.A. in marriage and family therapy in 1995. Barrett's professional experience includes working as a secondary science teacher from 1985 to 2012. She has been affiliated with the Aurora Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association and Retired Educators Cherry Creek Schools.

Elections

2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Patrick Neville defeated Katie Barrett and Caryn Ann Harlos in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 45 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick Neville (R)	60.2	40,418
		Katie Barrett (D)	36.9	24,779
		Caryn Ann Harlos (L)	2.9	1,958

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 67,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 45

Katie Barrett advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 45 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie Barrett	100.0	11,471

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,471
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Patrick Neville advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 45 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick Neville	100.0	14,800

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,800
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 45

Caryn Ann Harlos advanced from the Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 45 on April 13, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Caryn Ann Harlos (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Katie Barrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Barrett's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Katie has lived in Colorado since 1966 when her father, an Air Force officer, retired out of Lowry AFB. She grew up in Aurora and moved to Douglas County in 2015. Katie is a former math, science and wood shop teacher who for Cherry Creek School District at a school in Aurora. Katie enjoyed the diversity and challenges of working in a high needs school. While teaching, she served in various leadership positions including the school's leadership council for many years.

Katie joined the Aurora Citizen's Police Academy in 2012 and served in an elected position for several years in support of the group's mission to enhance understanding between citizens and police officers. Katie spearheaded a project to increase diversity within the group by reaching out to the diverse populations that call Aurora home.

After retiring, Katie volunteered for the 18th Judicial District in the Cold Case Unit. Working closely with the criminal justice system, she can see the inequities and stretched resources inherent in the criminal justice system. Katie is grateful to have met dedicated, extremely competent and caring district attorneys, investigators and staff.

Katie is a sport shooter and gun owner who chose to run when her opponent was advocating for teachers to carry guns, raffling off a sniper rifle to raise money for recall petitions and found her opponent had posted divisive language on his official State Rep website.

Katie is a kind, proud and inclusive Democrat.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Katie uses science, facts and data to make decisions for those living in Douglas County.
• Katie will work tirelessly to fund our schools to provide the education each child deserves. TABOR is strangling our state's ability to fund basic services.
• Katie supports the 2nd Amendment and doesn't want your guns. She advocates for training, extended background checks, waiting periods and qualifying to carry a weapon.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Funding schools, roads and other services are the most important functions of government. One measure of our success as a society is how we care for the least among us.

Climate change is real, documented and urgent. We need to acknowledge the role of gas and oil production in harming our environment and assist these workers to find fulfilling work in other industries. Katie is passionate about the role of unions and proposed projects like "Just Transitions" to help workers.

Working across the aisle is essential to crafting and passing bills. Katie has the skills, patience and resources to bring diverse groups together.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Barack Obama for his eloquence, compassion, empathy and intelligence. He seems unflappable and moves through life with a grace and composure that I admire.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and integrity. Building a trusting and trustworthy relationship with my community is the most important aspect of serving as a legislator.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to have been known as a collaborator and having used those skills to build a coalition to pass adequate funding to support schools, teachers and mental health.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 11 years old when Apollo 11 went to the moon! My father, an Air Force officer, narrated and patiently explained to the four of us what was happening. I can see in my mind's eye the five of us watching together... amazed.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Beyond babysitting jobs in my early teens, my first job was working as a server at a Bonanza Steak house when I was 16 years old. It was eye opening to learn how many jobs, supplies, machines and people were required to run a business. I worked there until I was 17 and went to college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love reading Stephen King for his descriptions of people and places. When you read his books, the language is so rich, it creates a complete picture of the characters, actions and settings. My favorite is "The Stand," for it's blend of science, humanity and courage. I love that much of it is set in Colorado. I often think of the characters walking through a car clogged Eisenhower tunnel when I drive through.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

In Colorado the Senate is responsible for for the state budget. The job of the representatives is to gather information through town halls, outreach and constituents contacting the office to learn what is needed in their day to day lives. Representatives are tasked with helping the community to live better lives by providing resources and information to assist.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that having prior government experience could be both a boost and a burden to those seeking office. Too often the legislators seem to lose their way and focus on becoming reelected rather than serve constituents. I think new voices, new experiences, and new outlooks freshen the legislature body to better serve the needs of those who have elected them.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Funding essential programs such as education, health and human services and well as updating infrastructure will continue to be a challenge in 2030.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The Governor sets the agenda collaboratively with legislative leadership. The branches are co-equal, and all bodies are able to bring forth ideas and policies that could benefit citizens. Cooperation, collaboration and respect should be afforded all involved regardless of party affiliation.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

The work of the legislature is representation. There are diverse voices in Colorado and all deserve to be heard. Practicalities narrow differences and that's when the work begins. Bi-partisan sponsorship of bills should be the goal.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Two committees I'd be interested in are Education and Energy & Environment.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Pat Schroeder, a champion of labor, education and planned parenthood.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The sister of an unstable man who killed people in his neighborhood, spoke to a group about her experiences. I was struck for the first time about the ripple effect of gun violence. This incident impacted so many levels of a community, her family and her willingness to do work to prevent tragedies such as this.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Colorado House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Julie McCluskie

Majority Leader:Monica Duran

Representatives

District 1

Javier Mabrey (D)

District 2

Steven Woodrow (D)

District 3

Meg Froelich (D)

District 4

Cecelia Espenoza (D)

District 5

Alex Valdez (D)

District 6

Sean Camacho (D)

District 7

Jennifer Bacon (D)

District 8

Lindsay Gilchrist (D)

District 9

Emily Sirota (D)

District 10

Junie Joseph (D)

District 11

Karen McCormick (D)

District 12

Kyle Brown (D)

District 13

Julie McCluskie (D)

District 14

Rose Pugliese (R)

District 15

Scott Bottoms (R)

District 16

Rebecca Keltie (R)

District 17

Regina English (D)

District 18

Amy Paschal (D)

District 19

Dan Woog (R)

District 20

Jarvis Caldwell (R)

District 21

Mary Bradfield (R)

District 22

Kenneth DeGraaf (R)

District 23

Monica Duran (D)

District 24

Lisa Feret (D)

District 25

Tammy Story (D)

District 26

Meghan Lukens (D)

District 27

Brianna Titone (D)

District 28

Sheila Lieder (D)

District 29

Shannon Bird (D)

District 30

Rebekah Stewart (D)

District 31

Jacque Phillips (D)

District 32

Manny Rutinel (D)

District 33

William Lindstedt (D)

District 34

Jenny Willford (D)

District 35

Lorena Garcia (D)

District 36

Michael Carter (D)

District 37

Chad Clifford (D)

District 38

Gretchen Rydin (D)

District 39

Brandi Bradley (R)

District 40

Naquetta Ricks (D)

District 41

Jamie Jackson (D)

District 42

Mandy Lindsay (D)

District 43

Robert Marshall (D)

District 44

Anthony Hartsook (R)

District 45

Max Brooks (R)

District 46

Tisha Mauro (D)

District 47

Ty Winter (R)

District 48

Carlos Barron (R)

District 49

Lesley Smith (D)

District 50

Ryan Gonzalez (R)

District 51

Ron Weinberg (R)

District 52

Yara Zokaie (D)

District 53

Andrew Boesenecker (D)

District 54

Matt Soper (R)

District 55

Rick Taggart (R)

District 56

Chris Richardson (R)

District 57

Elizabeth Velasco (D)

District 58

Larry Suckla (R)

District 59

Katie Stewart (D)

District 60

Stephanie Luck (R)

District 61

Eliza Hamrick (D)

District 62

Matthew Martinez (D)

District 63

Dusty Johnson (R)

District 64

Vacant

District 65

Lori Sander (R)

Democratic Party (43)

Republican Party (21)

Vacancies (1)