Eric Nelson (Colorado)

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Eric Nelson

Democratic Party

Candidate, Colorado House of Representatives District 42

Prior offices:

Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Years in office: 2013 - 2017

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Elections and appointments

Last election

June 28, 2022

Next election

June 30, 2026

Personal

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Personal website

Eric Nelson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 42. Nelson declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 30, 2026.^[source]

Nelson was an at-large member of the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado. Nelson assumed office in 2013. Nelson left office in 2017.

Nelson was a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 42 of the Colorado House of Representatives. He lost the general election.

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

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42

Incumbent Mandy Lindsay (D), Eric Nelson (D), Megan Siffring (D), and Sarah Woodson (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42 on June 30, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mandy Lindsay
		Eric Nelson
		Megan Siffring
		Sarah Woodson

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2022

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 42

Incumbent Mandy Lindsay defeated Cory Parella in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 42 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mandy Lindsay (D)	72.6	12,441
		Cory Parella (R)	27.4	4,703

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,144
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42

Incumbent Mandy Lindsay defeated Gail Pough in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mandy Lindsay	58.5	2,980
		Gail Pough	41.5	2,118

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,098
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kyle Leggott (D)
• Debi Hunter Holen (D)
• Eric Nelson (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42

Cory Parella advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 42 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cory Parella	100.0	2,048

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,048
= 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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2016

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Colorado House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 4, 2016. Incumbent Rhonda Fields (D) did not seek re-election.

Dominique Jackson defeated Mike Donald in the Colorado House of Representatives District 42 general election.

Colorado House of Representatives, District 42 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Dominique Jackson	68.91%	16,103
	Republican	Mike Donald	31.09%	7,265
Total Votes				23,368
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

Dominique Jackson defeated Eric Nelson in the Colorado House of Representatives District 42 Democratic primary.

Colorado House of Representatives, District 42 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Dominique Jackson	71.37%	2,595
	Democratic	Eric Nelson	28.63%	1,041
Total Votes				3,636

Mike Donald ran unopposed in the Colorado House of Representatives District 42 Republican primary.

Colorado House of Representatives, District 42 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Mike Donald  (unopposed)

2013

See also: Aurora Public Schools elections (2013)

Nelson sought election to the board against Jasper Armstrong, Amber Drevon, JulieMarie Shepherd and Barbara Yamrick on November 5, 2013.

Results

Aurora Public Schools Board of Education, At-large, November 5, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	JulieMarie Shepherd Incumbent	22.5%	16,466
	Nonpartisan	Eric Nelson	20.6%	15,065
	Nonpartisan	Amber Drevon	19.5%	14,283
	Nonpartisan	Barbara Yamrick	18.9%	13,826
	Nonpartisan	Jasper Armstrong	18.6%	13,614
Total Votes				73,254
Source: Adams County Elections, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 27, 2013, Arapahoe County Elections, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 22, 2013

Funding

Nelson reported $1,361.00 in contributions and $1,245.68 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $115.32 on hand.

Endorsements

Nelson received the following endorsements for his 2013 campaign:

• The Aurora Sentinel
• Nancy Jackson, Arapahoe County Commissioner #4
• State Representative Rhonda Fields
• Vorry Moon, Centennial City Councilman District 1
• Carla Turner, Candidate Colorado State Representative HD 39
• John L. Barry, Former Aurora Public Schools Superintendent

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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2022

Eric Nelson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Nelson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	Education: As a current member of the Aurora school board and former educator, I have seen first-hand the barriers many face in achieving a great education. I will work to sweep away these barriers so that everyone—from our children to adults already in the workforce—are able to receive the education they need to thrive in today’s economy. By the time children complete pre-K through 12th grade, they should be prepared for the next phase of their lives. Whether they go on to vocational training, community college or university, or directly into the workforce, high school graduates should have the tools necessary for success. In addition, I support educational opportunities for adults so they can transition into careers that are in demand in today’s economy. Economy: Growing the middle class is an effective way to improve the economy. Unfortunately, many of Colorado’s full-time workers and their families struggle to get by. Small business owners are overburdened with red tape and conflicting regulatory environments between local, state and federal governments. Everyone who works deserves an income that is sufficient to take care of themselves and their families and have a reasonable quality of life. I will fight to increase Colorado’s minimum wage to a living wage. I will also work to sweep away the barriers to entrepreneurship. Criminal Justice Reform: Almost all of us are likely aware of situations in which someone is prosecuted even though criminal charges seem absurd under the circumstances. I propose a criminal justice system that focuses on making our communities safer rather than simply racking up numbers of incarcerated persons. Taxpayer dollars are often wasted on ruining good people’s lives so politicians can appear tough on crime. Affordable Housing: Many hard-working Coloradans cannot afford to buy or rent in Colorado’s expensive housing market. I support measures to increase the availability of affordable housing and approaches, such as Housing First, that improve quality of life and productivity, thereby saving Colorado taxpayers millions by reducing the utilization of more expensive public services. Research around the country and in Denver has shown repeatedly that for every dollar “saved” by not fully funding programs that could eliminate homelessness, several dollars are spent on increased utilization of public services caused by homelessness. As your representative, I will not tolerate inhumane, short-sighted policies that are designed to help politicians keep up the appearance of saving money while actually wasting it. Veterans: We must provide the best healthcare possible and expanded employment opportunities for the men and women who have given us their best in service of our country.	”
—Eric Nelson

2013

Nelson explained his reasons for running in 2013 on his campaign website:

“

I am seeking election to the Aurora Public School Board because of my love for our community, passion for our kids and because there is nothing more critical to our city’s future than meeting the challenges facing our schools. As a veteran community and political organizer, I have the skills and experience to be a new voice and advocate on the school board. As a member of the school board I will pursue higher levels of academic achievement for all students, foster greater community engagement, and improve administrative accountability in APS.

”

Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.

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

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Footnotes

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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

Ava Flanell (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

Lori Goldstein (D)

District 30

Rebekah Stewart (D)

District 31

Jacque Phillips (D)

District 32

Manny Rutinel (D)

District 33

Kenny Nguyen (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

Scott Slaugh (R)

District 65

Lori Sander (R)

Democratic Party (43)

Republican Party (22)