DENVER (KDVR) — State Sen. Brittany Pettersen is headed to Washington after winning election to Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.
Pettersen’s victory keeps a longtime Democratic stronghold blue, even as it sits in new boundaries.
The new representative marks the first change in leadership for the district in years. Eight-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter has held the seat since 2007 but did not run for re-election.
It also marks the first leader for a newly redrawn district.
Redistricting made big changes to the 7th’s boundaries last year. It once encompassed the northern and western suburbs in the Denver metro, including the north half of Jefferson County and the west half of Adams County. Today, the district sits farther west and includes Jefferson, Broomfield, Park, Lake, Teller, Chaffee, Fremont and Custer counties.
Pettersen, a Democrat, currently represents state Senate District 22. Before that, she represented state House District 28 from 2013-19.
Pettersen defeated Erik Aadland, a Republican, political newcomer and combat veteran who’s worked in the energy industry. Aadland received backlash after a video leaked of him questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Third-party candidates included Libertarian Ross Klopf, Unity candidate Critter Milton and write-in candidate JP Lujan.