Nearly Spring Social – March 13 in Colorado Springs

Does the thought of getting on a board or running for office seem overwhelming? We will demystify the process! Learn how everyday women just like you are doing it.

Our special guests so far:

  • El Paso County Commissioner Holly Williams
  • D-11 School Board Member Mary Coleman
  • Candidate for U.S. Congress Jillian Freeland
  • former State House candidate Maile Foster

Join us for our Nearly Spring Social! Come talk politics, and meet elected women officials and women candidates. There’s no admission fee. Drinks and food are available for purchase. Donations will be accepted to further the work of Colorado 50-50.

Location: Coquette’s Bistro, 616 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs.

Date & Time: Friday, March 13, 2020, 6-8 PM

Winter Social 2020

You won’t want to miss our Winter Social!

It’s happening Sunday, January 26, 5-6:30 PM, at Monroe’s Lounge at the Best Western at I-25 and 34 in Loveland.

This is an enjoyable and informal local opportunity to meet people interested in promoting women in leadership, as well as candidates, and elected officials. 
The event is free with a cash bar. Donations furthering the work of Colorado 50-50 are encouraged and will be happily accepted.

Our special guests include:

  • State Senator Joann Ginal
  • State Senator Vicki Marble
  • State Representative Jeni Arndt
  • Larimer County Treasurer Irene Josey
  • Windsor Mayor and candidate for Weld County Commissioner Kristie Melendez
  • Fort Collins City Councilwoman Julie Pignataro
  • Estes Park Town Councilwoman Carlie Bangs
  • Loveland City Councilwoman Kathi Wright
  • Evans Town Councilwoman Ally Johnson
  • Thompson School Board Director Lori Hvizda Ward
  • Candidate for U.S. Senate Lorena Garcia
  • Candidate for State Representative Holly Herson
  • Candidate for State Representative Yara Zokaie
  • Candidate for Larimer County Commission Kim Akeley-Charron
  • Candidate for Larimer County Commission Jody Shadduck-McNally

By the way, if you are an elected official, former elected official, or candidate, we would love to include you in this event! We will be updating this list here and on social media. Please let us know if you are attending.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, January 26!

Encouraging Women To Run For Office

Colorado 50-50 presents a Friday, Oct. 4 event that will help demystify the process of running for office. Event organizers hope the panel discussion followed by networking will encourage more women to become candidates. The event – called Winning With Women – is being put on by Colorado 50-50, a nonpartisan group of concerned citizens that wants to promote gender parity in public life.

“When women run for office, they win just as often as men win,” said Colorado 50-50 Founder Erin Hottenstein. “So why aren’t more women in office? Because they don’t run.”

“Once women are in office, they’re good for the system,” she continued. “They seek more citizen input. They tend to facilitate and encourage cooperation.”

Joining the panel discussion will be Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette, former Republican State Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, and Democratic State Representative Leslie Herod. DeGette was elected to Congress in 1996, continues to serve, and is running again in 2020. She is one of only four women in Colorado history to have served in Congress. Coffman was elected in 2014 and served four years, during which time she ran for governor. She is only one of two women in Colorado history to have served as Attorney General. Herod was elected to the state house in 2016, where she continues to serve. She was the first LGBTQ African-American to be elected to the state legislature.

After speaking at a Winning With Women training, former Fort Collins Mayor Susan Kirkpatrick shared, “When women are elected to public office, they get things done. Research suggests that women perceive and use power differently than men do. There are benefits to communities when women participate in public policy making.”

The panel discussion will be followed by a networking session, which organizers hope will foster new connections among women who are curious about running and people who want to support women running for office.

Winning With Women takes place on Friday, Oct. 4, 6-9 p.m., at Lindsay Auditorium in Sturm Hall, University of Denver, 2000 E. Asbury, Denver, CO, 80208. Tickets are free for students with student ID, $15 regular admission, or higher amounts to cover students and support Colorado 50-50. Tickets can be purchased through EventBrite. Light refreshments will be served.

Childcare will be available for a small fee, provided that an RSVP is received by Oct.1. Scholarships are available. Please contact Erin Hottenstein at erin@colorado5050.org.

Paid parking is widely available at the DU campus. Lots 317 and 321 are closest to Sturm Hall; please see the campus parking map for more information. Guests can pay for parking in the visitor lots from their smart phones with the Park Mobile App. DU also has its own Light Rail stop located on the E-F-H lines.

Colorado 50-50 is grateful to the sponsors who are helping make this event possible: University of Denver, Electing Women PAC, League of Women Voters of Colorado, VoteRunLead, DU’s Dept. of Economics, DU’s Gender and Women’s Studies Dept., DU’s Dept. of Political Science, DU’s Center on American Politics, DU’s Media, Film, and Journalism Studies, DU’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, and InvestHER.

Fun in Dillon!

Photos of attendees of summer social

Thanks to everyone who attended our Summer Social in Dillon on August 15! It was a great turnout for our first event in the mountains and we were happy to meet so many people.

Our special thanks go out the elected women officials who helped make the social a success by encouraging the next wave of women leaders. Thank you State Senator Kerry Donovan, State Representative Julie McCluskie, State Senator and U.S. Senate Candidate Angela Williams, former State House Majority Leader and U.S. Senate Candidate Alice Madden, Summit County Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence, Summit County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier, Dillon Mayor Carolyn Skowyra, Breckenridge Town Councilwoman Erin Gigliello, and former Dillon Town Councilwoman Lucinda Burns!

Good luck to attendees Amy Padden and Heidi McCollum, who are running for District Attorney in different districts!

Join us on Aug. 15 for our Summer Social in Dillon

event details and photos of three elected women officials

Join us for our summer social in Dillon! Meet women candidates & elected officials, like State Senator Kerry Donovan, State Representative Julie McCluskie & Elisabeth Lawrence, Summit County Commissioner. Learn what it’s like to run & hold office.

All are welcome! Thursday, August 15, 5-6:30 PM, at Pug Ryan’s Brewery, 104 Village Pl., Dillon. (Note: we will be at the brewery, not the tiki bar.)

Suggested $5 donation to Colorado 50-50. No admission fee. Cash bar at Pug Ryan’s Brewing Company. More info and RSVP here.

Run As You Are – Denver campaign training on May 18

Colorado 50-50 is partnering again with Vote Run Lead to bring the Run As You Are training to Colorado. The full-day campaign training for women will be held on Saturday, May 18, at the WeWork location in downtown Denver.

This year’s training is especially exciting because it is part of Vote Run Lead’s National Day of Training being held in 18 cities around the country. As the United States’s largest and most diverse national women’s training organization, Vote Run Lead is uniquely positioned to train women to run as they are.

Joining the Denver team are State Senator Faith Winter, State Representative Dominique Jackson and Community Organizer Erin Hottenstein.

Are you wondering if you should attend? Yes – if you have ever been curious about running for office. Yes – if you know you are going to run in 2019, 2020, or the next five years. Yes – if you are volunteering for a woman candidate and you want to know more about campaigns. Yes – if you would like to learn campaign nuts and bolts and then find a woman candidate to help.

#RunAsYouAre2019 will not only be inspiring and uplifting, but chock-full of practical information and steps you can take to run a successful campaign. You will also spend the day with a room full of incredible and dynamic women.

The cost to enroll is only $25 and can be done online here: http://bit.ly/VRLRAYA2019

Scholarships, along with travel and childcare stipends are available. We want you to attend! Just email info@colorado5050.org.

Lastly, don’t forget to bring a friend! Sign up now – we’re going to have a blast!

75 People Attended the Colorado Premiere of Councilwoman

Group photo at event

About 75 people attended the April 30 Colorado premiere of Councilwoman, a new documentary about a Dominican-American hotel housekeeper who runs for office in Providence, Rhode Island. After watching the film, the audience participated in both small- and large-group discussions.

Please join Colorado 50-50 in thanking our co-sponsors: the League of Women Voters of Larimer County, Fuerza Latina, Alianza NORCO, CSU Women and Gender Collaborative, CSU Straayer Center for Public Service Leadership, and Foothills Unitarian Church. Also, many thanks to our volunteers who made the event possible.

Did you miss it? Colorado 50-50 hopes to show the documentary again later. Until then, you can see the trailer here: https://www.councilwomanfilm.com/

Spring Social in Denver

A big thank you to everyone who came out for our Spring Social at Lady Justice Brewing in Denver! It was great meeting women elected officials, candidates, surrogates for candidates, and the folks who want to see more women in leadership. Our gratitude goes out to our special guests: State Senator Julie Gonzales, former Colorado Speaker of the House and U.S. Congress candidate Crisanta Duran, Denver City Councilwoman Robin Kniech, U.S. Senate candidate Danielle Kombo, U.S. Senate candidate Lorena Garcia, U.S. Senate candidate Trish Zornio, Denver mayoral candidate Kalyn Heffernan and Denver City Council candidate Christine Alonzo.

Spring Social in Denver is one week away

Please join us for a casual networking event with women elected officials and candidates. Our special guests include former Speaker of the Colorado House and current Congressional candidate Crisanta Duran, State Representative Yadira Caraveo, current U.S. Senate candidate Lorena Garcia, current U.S. Senate candidate Danielle Kombo, and State Senator Julie Gonzales.

The event is free! You buy your own brew. Donations supporting the work of Colorado 50-50 will be gladly accepted. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, March 28, 6-8 PM, at Lady Justice Brewing, 3845 Lipan St., in Denver.

To RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/371918456873033/

To RSVP by email: info@colorado5050.org

See you next week!

Save the date for our Spring Social

Save the date for our Spring Social on Thursday, March 28, at 6 PM, at Lady Justice Brewing, 3845 Lipan St., in Denver.

Please join us for a casual networking event with women elected officials and candidates. It’s free and you can buy your own brew. Donations supporting the work of Colorado 50-50 will be gladly accepted. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, March 28, 6 PM, at Lady Justice Brewing, 3845 Lipan St., in Denver.

To RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/371918456873033/

To RSVP by email: info@colorado5050.org

See you soon!