Sonya Jaquez Lewis

Sonya Jaquez Lewis

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Colorado House of Representatives District 12

Successor: Tracey Bernett

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Colorado State Senate District 17

Successor: Katie Wallace

Predecessor: Mike Foote

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Personal

Profession

Healthcare Executive

Contact

Campaign website

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Sonya Jaquez Lewis (Democratic Party) was a member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 17. She assumed office on January 13, 2021. She left office on February 19, 2025.

Lewis (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 17. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Lewis resigned from the Colorado State Senate on February 18, 2025, amidst an ethics investigation regarding alleged workplace misconduct.

Biography

Sonya Jaquez Lewis lives in Boulder County, Colorado. Lewis earned a degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy. Her career experience includes working as the Medicaid pharmacy director for Colorado Access. Lewis has served on the Boulder County Board of Health and as president of Out Boulder.

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

Lewis was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Health and Human Services Committee
• Senate Local Government and Housing Committee, Chair
• Transportation and Energy Committee

2021-2022

Lewis was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Health and Human Services Committee
• Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee

2019-2020

Lewis was assigned to the following committees:

• Health and Health Services Committee
• State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, Vice chair
• Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee

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

2024

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Colorado State Senate District 17

Incumbent Sonya Jaquez Lewis defeated Tom Van Lone in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 17 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D)	66.8	63,308
	Submit photo	Tom Van Lone (R)	33.2	31,509

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ethan Augreen (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 17

Incumbent Sonya Jaquez Lewis advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis	100.0	19,836

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,836
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 17

Tom Van Lone advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Tom Van Lone	100.0	7,208

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,208
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lewis in this election.

2020

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado State Senate District 17

Sonya Jaquez Lewis defeated Matthew Menza and Andrew O'Connor in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 17 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D)	67.9	65,226
		Matthew Menza (R)	32.1	30,848
	Submit photo	Andrew O'Connor (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	19

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 96,093
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 17

Sonya Jaquez Lewis advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 17 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis	100.0	36,163

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,163
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Kelly (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 17

Matthew Menza advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 17 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matthew Menza	100.0	10,009

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,009
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 12

Sonya Jaquez Lewis defeated Theresa Stets in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 12 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D)	73.5	30,880
		Theresa Stets (Unaffiliated)	26.5	11,110

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,990 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• David Reid Ross (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 12

Sonya Jaquez Lewis advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 12 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sonya Jaquez Lewis	100.0	13,130

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 13,130
= 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 12

David Reid Ross advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 12 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Reid Ross	100.0	4,052

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 4,052
= 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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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sonya Jaquez Lewis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Sonya Jaquez Lewis 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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Sonya Jaquez Lewis campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Colorado State Senate District 17	Won general	$24,564	$29,931
2020	Colorado State Senate District 17	Won general	$33,602	N/A**
Grand total			$58,166	$29,931
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** 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.

Noteworthy events

Ethics investigation

On December 3, 2024, Colorado State Senate leaders barred Lewis from having state-paid aides after two former staffers filed a workplace misconduct complaint. The complaint alleged that Lewis instructed staffers to bartend a party she’d hosted, as well as complete chores around her home. Lewis was subsequently stripped of her committee assignments on December 7, 2024, while the Colorado Senate Ethics Committee reviewed the complaint.

On February 18, 2025, Lewis resigned from the Colorado State Senate. The Colorado Senate Ethics Committee announced that Lewis had submitted to the committee at least one fabricated letter of support. The letter purported to be from a former staffer, who in fact had not authored the letter, and had no recent communications with Lewis.

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Candidate

Colorado State Senate District 17

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mike Foote (D)	Colorado State Senate District 17 2021-2025	Succeeded by Katie Wallace (D)
Preceded by -	Colorado House of Representatives District 12 2019-2021	Succeeded by Tracey Bernett (D)

[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)