Gena Ozols
From Ballotpedia
Gena Ozols (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 3. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 30, 2026.[source]
Ozols completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Gena Ozols was born in Fairfield, California. She earned a high school diploma from Smoky Hill High School. Her career experience includes working as a community organizer.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Colorado House of Representatives 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 House of Representatives District 3
Michael Barlow-Roach and Gena Ozols are running in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 3 on June 30, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Michael Barlow-Roach  | ||
 | Gena Ozols | |
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Endorsements
To view Ozols's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Gena Ozols completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ozols' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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As a lifelong Coloradan, community advocate, and strategist, I have spent my career fighting for the issues that matter—reproductive rights, racial justice, labor rights, and equity. From leading campaigns to passing landmark legislation, I’ve worked across Colorado to help move our state forward and build real political power for our communities.
I’ve served as a field director, board and commission member, policy director and various other community leadership positions, all while running a small business that supports nonprofits with strategic planning, coalition building, and campaign expertise. Whether knocking on doors, building community connections, or crafting policy, I know how to get results—and I know that we’re strongest when we lead together.
- Our government should work for everyone. Full Stop. But currently, too many of our systems are set up to work against anyone who doesn’t fit into narrow societal norms. I’m committed to fighting for those on the outside to ensure equitable opportunity for everyone— meaning access to quality health care, affordable housing, opportunities for career growth, safe transportation, the ability to pursue higher education etc etc etc.
- We’re stronger when we work together. I have spent my career building coalitions around some of the most impactful issues facing Colorado, from paid family leave to abortion as a constitutionally protected right. I know that legislators and leaders can’t be successful as lone wolves and that we must rely on the lived experiences and expert knowledge within our districts. It takes a team to get a good policy signed on the governor’s desk. I plan to take my experience bringing people together and forming strong connections to the Capitol to ensure effective policies get past the finish line.
- Talk is cheap. Action speaks. Coloradans are sick of politicians who push hollow rhetoric without any follow-through. Like many of you, this is something I can’t stand. Representative Froelich has done a great job of pushing through cheap talk to deliver results in the State House, and I’m running to ensure the next representative for HD3 continues to take charge, make a meaningful difference, and follow through on campaign promises. Voters can trust that I am not here to talk, as I’ve already been taking action for my entire career.
There are many policy areas that are deeply personal for me, but protecting democracy, promoting civic engagement, defending gender equality and women’s rights, and the empowerment of targeted and marginalized communities are the most central components of my worldview.
Two key characteristics come to mind when I think about this question. The first is the ability and drive to actually accomplish things that make life better for their constituents, even when it comes to making the difficult decisions legislators are often required to make. The second is the willingness to listen to people, which informs elected officials about what their priorities should be, as well as knowing when they’re wrong and how they can improve as representatives of their constituents. If you can’t listen to the people you’re elected to represent, how can you effectively be their voice in government? Every legislator goes to the Capitol with their own unique experience, knowledge, and judgement, but what separates good elected officials from the bad is how hard they work to engage with and include their community, especially the voices that are often overlooked, in their work.
The core responsibilities of this office start with building coalitions through listening to ALL residents and communities within the district, not just the people we are ideologically aligned with. It means elevating the voices of marginalized communities whose needs are too often overlooked in favor of louder interests. Legislating isn’t only about passing good bills—it’s also about providing effective, responsive constituent services. With nearly 100,000 people represented in HD3, it takes persistence, active listening, and a genuine commitment to serve as their voice in the State House.
If I can convince even a small handful of people that there is hope in our system and that there are leaders within it who are not only worthy of trust but also of support, I will consider that a victory.
The first big news story I really remember was the heinous murder of JonBenét Ramsay, but for worldwide historical events, it was the death of Princess Diana when I was 8 years old. I remember my mom was devastated. I didn’t understand why at the time, but I fully get it now.
My first job was at Arapahoe Crossing’s movie theater when I was 17. Midway through my third shift, they told me I had to pick up a used condom without personal protective equipment, so I walked out. It was an early lesson in the importance of workplace health codes! My next job was as a hostess/waitress/delivery driver at Boston’s Pizza in Parker, which thankfully honored workplace health codes, and I stayed there for two years.
“I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.”
Carrie Bradshaw, without a doubt. Fabulous clothes and an apartment on a columnist salary? Sign me up!
I started my adult life attached to a heavy amount of someone else’s debt, an unawareness of the higher education system, and undiagnosed ADHD—all of which made it difficult to follow a traditional path often afforded to the community of peers I grew up with. But I made my way by finding motivation through community organizing and making things less of a struggle for others.
The Governor and the General Assembly must trust each other in order to make a state budget that is truly representative of the needs of everyone in Colorado and equally balances the priorities the electorate has expressed support for. It’s a partnership as well as a collective.
I believe the greatest challenge Colorado will face over the next decade is the increasing financial constraints on the state budget and the state’s ability to fund essential programs countless Coloradans rely on. Additionally, we MUST prioritize pushing back on negative and harmful actions at the Federal level by the MAGA-controlled Congress, limiting corporate power and influence in our government, and undoing the lasting effects of TABOR.
I think any career field benefits when it’s led by people who have experience in directly similar work, but it’s also not always an inherent requirement. The same is true for policymaking. In my opinion, the most beneficial experience a state legislator can have is in organizing their community, which is often done via work in government and politics but can also be done through participation in schools, community groups, places of worship, etc. Your constituents are the experts on their own lives and needs. If you have experience in engaging those folks in honest conversation and movement building, you’ll likely make a good elected official.
Building working relationships with anyone who wants to have honest, transparent conversations and partnerships is extremely beneficial. These colleagues can not only support or oppose your priorities but most often can actually help you to bring additional perspectives, opinions, or feedback that make for a better bill. While we represent our individual districts first, the title is "state legislator," meaning we are working together for the benefit of the state's residents overall.
There isn’t one person I would want to model myself after completely because I don’t believe that kind of perfection exists; however, I do hope to carry forward the best qualities of many leaders: the bravery of Pat Schroeder, the strength of Diana DeGette, the directness of my predecessor Meg Froelich, and the kindness of Senators Daniel Kagan and Janet Buckner, along with the many others who have inspired me.
There is a small business owner and friend in House District 3 who runs an amazing space that both serves great food and provides opportunities for employment to adults with disabilities. To me, she is an example of a true patriot and kind person. She recognized that the state was not supporting disabled individuals in many ways, and due to this failure, too many disabled adults are stuck between a proverbial rock and a hard place. Do they get a job that pays well but prevents them from qualifying for the benefits they need to survive due to how much they make? Or do they find a job in a market that does not accommodate them or pay a survivable wage while retaining access to benefits? This business owner recognized this failure and did something about it. In my eyes, her mission makes her a hero.
The word “should” is entirely dependent on an individual situation. Factually, the legislature CAN grant emergency powers, and this should be something the legislature is empowered to do. The genuine question here is, what would qualify as a justifiable reason to grant emergency powers? To me, this question is the reason we have so many experts and knowledgeable officials in our state government who can weigh each situation and determine if granting emergency powers is necessary and make recommendations to the legislature based on their assessment. Additionally, I believe that the legislature, as an extension of the people of Colorado, should absolutely play a role when it comes to oversight.
The 2027 General Session is too far away for me to give a specific bill, but I would first focus on policies that protect the right to due process, including all Colorado residents being targeted by federal immigration policies. Additionally, given the state’s worsening financial crisis, I would consider having fiscal reform, specifically joining the effort to overhaul or repeal TABOR, at the top of my list. Eventually, I want to introduce a larger campaign finance and elections bill to update and improve many of our current systems and processes, but this bill would take at least 1-2 years of research and development with legislative legal services, state departments/county clerks, and other stakeholders before it could even be introduced.
I am proud to have earned the endorsement of over 60 local and statewide leaders, including Representative Meg Froelich and Senator Jeff Bridges. You can see all these endorsements on my website.
Absolutely. While I support the updates made several years ago to require 2% of signatures within each Senate district and ensuring statewide representation of the issue, this change did not actually make access to the ballot more equitable. Paid signature gathering is required for nearly every major effort, meaning that the only people truly able to get anything on the ballot are those who can afford to send paid petition gatherers to the far reaches of the state. This results in citizen-led initiatives having a much harder time doing something that extremely wealthy individuals or well-funded groups can do (and have been doing) with relative ease and allows money to dictate what’s on our ballots. This practice degrades the integrity of the process, and voters wind up receiving a ballot that is so long and daunting that many can’t possibly do adequate research ahead of voting deadlines. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the Secretary of State and county clerks to discuss how we create a system where not only the rich can access the statewide ballot initiative process.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Colorado House of Representatives District 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 24, 2025
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
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
Vacant
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
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
District 54
Matt Soper (R)
District 55
Rick Taggart (R)
District 56
Chris Richardson (R)
District 57
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
Scott Slaugh (R)
District 65
Lori Sander (R)
Democratic Party (43)
Republican Party (21)
Vacancies (1)
