An Adams County Democratic vacancy committee has selected Manny Rutinel, a lawyer and environmentalist, to represent a western slice of the county in the state House of Representatives.
Rutinel defeated Lucy Molina Monday night by a vote of 23 to 5 to take the seat of former Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet in House District 32. Michaelson Jenet was appointed to the state Senate last month, replacing departed Sen. Dominick Moreno.
Rutinel previously had filed to run for the seat in November 2024 and will now serve a year in the House before that election.
An alum of Yale and Johns Hopkins universities, Rutinel is a former environmental attorney who now runs a group called Climate Refarm, which advocates for addressing the climate crisis through changes to the food system.
Rutinel is the sixth legislator selected by a vacancy committee this year. He joins a supermajority of Democrats in the Colorado House, who are flanked by a near-supermajority in the Senate.
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Update: This story has been updated to reflect the correct vote count for the vacancy committee. The count originally announced Monday night was incorrect.
