Rodney Pelton

Rodney Pelton

Republican Party

Candidate, Colorado State Senate District 35

Colorado State Senate District 35

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Cleave Simpson Jr.

Prior offices

Colorado House of Representatives District 65

Successor: Michael Lynch

Predecessor: Jon Becker

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Compensation

Base salary

43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. $41,449/year for legislators whose terms began in 2021.

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the capitol: $237/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Next election

June 30, 2026

Personal

Profession

Farmer/Rancher

Contact

Official website

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Rodney Pelton (Republican Party) (also known as Rod) is a member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 35. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Pelton (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 35. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on June 30, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Rod Pelton's career experience includes owning and operating businesses and working as a farmer and rancher. Pelton served on the Cheyenne County Commission.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Pelton was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
• Senate Local Government and Housing Committee
• Legislative Audit Committee

2021-2022

Pelton was assigned to the following committees:

• Legislative Council Committee
• Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee
• Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee (decommissioned)

2019-2020

Pelton was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee
• House Appropriations Committee
• Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee (decommissioned)

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2026

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 30, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 35

Travis Nelson is running in the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 35 on June 30, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Travis Nelson

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 35

Incumbent Rodney Pelton is running in the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 35 on June 30, 2026.

		Candidate
		Rodney Pelton

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2022

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado State Senate District 35

Rodney Pelton defeated Travis Nelson in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 35 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton (R)	74.3	58,478
	Submit photo	Travis Nelson (D)	25.7	20,230

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,708
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 35

Travis Nelson advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 35 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Travis Nelson	100.0	8,778

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,778
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 35

Rodney Pelton advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 35 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton	100.0	29,362

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,362
= 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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2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 65

Incumbent Rodney Pelton won election in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 65 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton (R)	100.0	31,857

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,857
= 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 65

Incumbent Rodney Pelton advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 65 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton	100.0	13,187

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,187
= 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.

2018

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 65

Rodney Pelton defeated Bethleen McCall in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 65 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton (R)	76.3	22,746
		Bethleen McCall (D)	23.7	7,065

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,811 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 65

Bethleen McCall advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 65 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bethleen McCall	100.0	2,812

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,812
= 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 65

Rodney Pelton advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 65 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rodney Pelton	100.0	11,455

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 11,455
= 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

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rodney Pelton has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Rodney Pelton asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Rodney Pelton, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Rodney Pelton to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing peltonforcolorado@gmail.com.

2022

Rodney Pelton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Rodney Pelton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Rodney Pelton campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Colorado State Senate District 35	Won general	$33,000	$41,183
2020	Colorado House of Representatives District 65	Won general	$20,486	N/A**
2018	Colorado House of Representatives District 65	Won general	$18,266	N/A**
Grand total			$71,752	$41,183
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Colorado

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Colorado scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 8. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 11. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Cobalt Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBTQ+ issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are usually scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals: U.S. Congress and General Assembly Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Colorado Education Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes related to education reflection and on how well legislators worked with educators to advance the CEA's priorities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 15. Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are usually scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. However, in 2020 the organization released this more detailed overview of the legislative session. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals: U.S. Congress and General Assembly Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 4 through May 3. ACLU of Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the ACLU of Colorado "felt were the best representations of the civil liberties issues facing Colorado today." Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that are supported or opposed by the organization. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental conservation. Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBT issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

See also

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Candidate

Colorado State Senate District 35

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Colorado State Senate District 35

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Cleave Simpson Jr. (R)	Colorado State Senate District 35 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Jon Becker (R)	Colorado House of Representatives District 65 2019-2023	Succeeded by Michael Lynch (R)

[show]

Current members of the Colorado State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:James Coleman

Majority Leader:Robert Rodriguez

Minority Leader:Cleave Simpson

Senators

District 1

Byron Pelton (R)

District 2

Lisa Frizell (R)

District 3

Nick Hinrichsen (D)

District 4

Mark Baisley (R)

District 5

Marc Catlin (R)

District 6

Cleave Simpson (R)

District 7

Janice Rich (R)

District 8

Dylan Roberts (D)

District 9

Lynda Zamora Wilson (R)

District 10

Larry Liston (R)

District 11

Thomas Exum (D)

District 12

Marc Snyder (D)

District 13

Scott Bright (R)

District 14

Cathy Kipp (D)

District 15

Janice Marchman (D)

District 16

Chris Kolker (D)

District 17

Katie Wallace (D)

District 18

Judy Amabile (D)

District 19

Lindsey Daugherty (D)

District 20

Lisa Cutter (D)

District 21

Dafna Jenet (D)

District 22

Jessie Danielson (D)

District 23

Barbara Kirkmeyer (R)

District 24

Kyle Mullica (D)

District 25

Faith Winter (D)

District 26

Jeff Bridges (D)

District 27

Tom Sullivan (D)

District 28

Mike Weissman (D)

District 29

Iman Jodeh (D)

District 30

John Carson (R)

District 31

Matt Ball (D)

District 32

Robert Rodriguez (D)

District 33

James Coleman (D)

District 34

Julie Gonzales (D)

District 35

Rodney Pelton (R)

Democratic Party (23)

Republican Party (12)