Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen announced Monday that he is resigning from the Legislature to join the leadership of a conservative nonprofit.
His resignation is effective immediately.
“Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,” the Monument Republican said in a statement. “I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and common-sense conservative values.”
He will lead the American Excellence Foundation, an organization that awards grants to advance conservative public policy.
Lundeen served as a state representative from 2015 to 2018 and as a senator since 2019. He is term-limited and could not seek re-election in 2026. Before his time in the Legislature, he served on the State Board of Education, including as chair for two years. He worked on an array of education-related policies while in office.
The Senate Republican caucus will meet on Thursday evening to select a new minority leader. A vacancy committee of Republicans from Senate District 9 will also need to meet to select a replacement for Lundeen.
In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis thanked Lundeen for his public service.
“Paul has always found ways to work across the aisle, and do what is best for the people he has served,” the Democrat wrote. “We’ve often found common ground on the issues that matter most to Coloradans, like education, public safety and growing our economy. Senator Lundeen has spent decades in public service, in addition to his time leading small businesses, and his presence and leadership will be missed at the Capitol.”
This article originally appeared in Colorado Newsline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
