Karen McCormick

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Karen McCormick
Image of Karen McCormick

Candidate, Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Colorado House of Representatives District 11
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. $41,449/year for legislators whose terms began in 2021.

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the capitol: $237/day.

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of Florida, 1979

Graduate

University of Florida, 1984

Other

University of Florida, 1984

Personal
Profession
Veterinarian
Contact

Karen McCormick (Democratic Party) is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 11. She assumed office on January 13, 2021. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

McCormick (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 11. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]

Biography

Karen McCormick lives in Longmont, Colorado. McCormick earned a bachelor's degree in 1979 and a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1984 from the University of Florida. Her career experience includes working as a communications coach with Colorado State University's veterinary teaching hospital and owning a veterinary hospital. McCormick has served Rotary International, Project V.E.T.S., Intercambio Connecting Communities, and ViDAS.[1][2][3]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

McCormick was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

McCormick was assigned to the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2026

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Karen McCormick is running in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick (D)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Karen McCormick defeated Kathy Reeves in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick (D) Candidate Connection
 
69.3
 
31,650
Image of Kathy Reeves
Kathy Reeves (R) Candidate Connection
 
30.7
 
14,005

Total votes: 45,655
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Karen McCormick advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
10,186

Total votes: 10,186
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Kathy Reeves defeated Terri Goon in the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kathy Reeves
Kathy Reeves Candidate Connection
 
59.1
 
2,349
Terri Goon
 
40.9
 
1,623

Total votes: 3,972
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

To view McCormick's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McCormick in this election.

2022

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Karen McCormick defeated Tara Menza in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick (D) Candidate Connection
 
69.7
 
26,855
Image of Tara Menza
Tara Menza (R) Candidate Connection
 
30.3
 
11,657

Total votes: 38,512
Candidate Connection = 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Karen McCormick advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
11,578

Total votes: 11,578
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Tara Menza advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tara Menza
Tara Menza Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
5,098

Total votes: 5,098
Candidate Connection = 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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Endorsements

To view McCormick's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Karen McCormick defeated Mark Milliman in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick (D) Candidate Connection
 
67.0
 
32,803
Mark Milliman (R)
 
33.0
 
16,171

Total votes: 48,974
Candidate Connection = 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Karen McCormick advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 30, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
17,470

Total votes: 17,470
Candidate Connection = 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11

Mark Milliman advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 11 on June 30, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Mark Milliman
 
100.0
 
5,951

Total votes: 5,951
Candidate Connection = 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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Endorsements

To view McCormick's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2018

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 4

Incumbent Ken Buck defeated Karen McCormick in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 4 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ken Buck
Ken Buck (R)
 
60.6
 
224,038
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick (D)
 
39.4
 
145,544
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
39

Total votes: 369,621
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 4

Karen McCormick defeated Chase Kohne in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 4 on June 26, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karen McCormick
Karen McCormick
 
64.7
 
37,120
Image of Chase Kohne
Chase Kohne
 
35.3
 
20,269

Total votes: 57,389
Candidate Connection = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 4

Incumbent Ken Buck advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 4 on June 26, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ken Buck
Ken Buck
 
100.0
 
85,290

Total votes: 85,290
Candidate Connection = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Karen McCormick has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Karen McCormick, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Candidate Connection

Karen McCormick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McCormick's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I am a veterinarian with 16+ years of small business owner experience, mom to three, and I come from a career Navy family.
  • I am a problem solver at heart. It is important in finding the best solutions to listen to all the voices of those impacted.
  • I am passionate about helping people reach their goals by removing barriers our residents encounter in everyday life.
  • I am committed to protecting our democracy and protecting the freedoms we have fought hard to achieve over the centuries.
Honesty, integrity, respect for others and the ability to listen
Cleaning kennels at a small animal hospital. I loved it! Had the job a year.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released October 3, 2022

Candidate Connection

Karen McCormick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McCormick's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My father served 30 years in the US Navy dedicating his career to our nation, retiring as a Rear Admiral. My upbringing instilled a clear sense of what it means to be an American and serve our country.

I have two brothers. One a Naval Academy graduate, a former fighter pilot and the second owns an aerospace company in Colorado. My mother also lives in Colorado. Married to a native Coloradan and living in Longmont for 28 years, we have raised 3 children and numerous dogs. Colorado is home. My career began at the University of Florida with a BS in Agriculture, and then I obtained my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. I practiced small animal medicine for 33 years, owned a very successful hospital in Colorado, employed 24 people with a budget of over 2 million. I now am proud to serve as the State Representative for House District 11, my town of Longmont. Volunteer work is important to me. I’ve served as a board member on two animal related non-profits, a member of Rotary, a communications coach at CSU vet school and have been a volunteer English teacher to immigrants for the non-profit Intercambio.

  • Strong support of public education is a critical part of the foundation of our system of government. I ran for office to prioritize funding for public education, educators, schools and students across our state.
  • Current and future generations are depending on us to take bold action to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect our precious resources of water, land and air. This is our only Earth and it will take everything we've got to be sure we have a liveable planet well into the future.
  • Health care is a fundamental need for all humans. We need food, water, shelter and care when sick or injured. Our systems of physical and mental health care delivery continue to need measures to lower costs and increase accessibility.
I am passionate about making sure every child in our state has access to the best public education possible for them to reach their highest potential. We have one of the best economies in the country and our education funding is at the bottom. We must invest in our kids and therefore in all of our futures.

I also care deeply about our planet and specifically in our state the future of our water resources. We must think strategically about water efficiency efforts, sensible storage solutions, and conservation of water. Our agricultural, recreational and urban economies all depend on the availability of water.
I will support sensible policies to get us to a fully renewable energy future.

In health care I am focused on keeping health care decisions private and keeping the government out of personal health care choices for ourselves and our families. I am working to bring prices down and to increase access to health care and mental health care. I care about equity in care for the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities and am a strong ally in policy decisions.

I am a strong supporter of common sense gun violence prevention efforts. I helped pass serveral bills

to address firearms to be properly stored, to be reported if lost or stolen, to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic violence offenders, to temporarily remove firearms from a home where there is danger of self harm or harm to others. There is more work to be done to save lives here in Colorado.
I look up to my mom and dad. My dad served 30 years in the US Navy and was the kind of leader that I aspire to be. He was respected and in turn respected others no matter their rank or social status. He lead by example and always pitched in to help. I look up to my mom for raising 3 kids, for long stretches of time on her own when my dad was deployed. She kept a positive attitude even when things were tough through the many, many relocations we did during my upbringing. I try to follow their examples of a "can-do" attitude, a sense of humor and being respectful and ready to help in all situations.
I remember the black and white TV was on in our house when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. My mom's reaction is what really sticks with me. I was 6 1/2 years old at the time.
My first job was cleaning kennels and developing x-rays at a small animal hospital. I was paid $1.50 per hour and was thrilled. I had this job through my senior year of High School.
The Governor's office certainly can share their opinion and desires with the State Legislature, but it is the legislature who create the laws. It is important to maintain open communication with the Governor's office throughout the policy making process to make sure that the Governor is willing to sign the bill into law but the Governor is not the one that should creating the law. The General Assembly is there to represent the people and it is critical for each branch of government to do their job. The Governor's office can certainly suggest amendments to law and there can be negotiations and compromises at that level as well. This is what makes a functional government.
I see the future of water access and availability as the greatest challenge. Without water our economies will suffer. We must work hard toward a secure water future as the climate continues to get hotter and drier. Water will drive housing costs, food costs, transportation costs, recreation costs and so much more. I support the ideas in the Colorado Water Plan and we need to do as much as possible outlined in that plan, as soon as possible.
I very much believe it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators, especially those in the opposite party. It is when we don't know each other that we make judgments about each other and consequently start to label people inaccurately. We think we know what the "other" thinks when in fact many times there are so many places where we can find common ground if we are just willing to take the time to look, and listen. Listening is a powerful tool that can help us all improve the lives of the people who have sent us into government to help. I work hard to build relationships with my colleagues. I am proud to say that a great many of the bills that go through the committee that I chair in the House of Representatives receive a unanimous vote of Democrats and Republicans.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Candidate Connection

Karen McCormick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McCormick's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Karen grew up in a career Navy family with a father that served 30 years in the US Navy retiring as a Rear Admiral.

Karen attended college at the University of Florida obtaining a BS in Agriculture and then a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Practicing veterinary medicine for over 33 years further strengthened her belief in the power of compassion. She ran her own successful small business here in Colorado serving the community with excellence in veterinary care for 16 years. She is a problem solver at heart. She was a volunteer English teacher for the immigrant community. Further volunteer work with two non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting animal health. She has worked as a communications coach to help train veterinary students at CSU. She is a member of Citizen's Climate Lobby and Rotary. Karen has been married to her husband Gregg for 30 years. They have lived in Longmont for over 26 years where they raised their three children.They have twin daughters and their eldest identifies as non-binary. The family also have a large puppy. Being outdoors in Colorado is one of her favorite pastimes. She is passionate about our state and working for policies that help Colorado families.

In 2018, Karen ran a robust campaign for Congress in Colorado's 4th congressional district.
  • Mitigate the effects of climate change and help protect vulnerable eco-systems.
  • Work to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to all, and include mental health care.
  • Find better ways to fund our public education system so that all kids receive the best education no matter their zip code.
I am passionate about fighting the effects of climate change and working to get carbon and other greenhouse gases out of of atmosphere. We have a moral obligation and responsibility to work hard to protect our planet for the generations to come. We need to move fast and make bold decisions that can have a positive impact.
I believe it is important to bring integrity, respect, honesty and compassion to any elected office. We need people with good moral compasses to be making decisions that affect so many.
I tend to want to listen first. I gather information, collect data and then proceed to analyze the best path forward. I have been problem solving with compassion my entire life and believe this experience will benefit me as a state representative.
My first job was working at a veterinary hospital cleaning cages and learning simple lab work. I was thrilled to get this job while in high school and worked there for 6 months until I graduated.
I don't believe it is necessary to have previous government or political experience. I believe that many have a wealth of life experiences and problem solving abilities that can bring great value to politics. We need more people with real life experience to better reflect the people that they serve.
I do believe it is beneficial. The more relationships are built and there is trust and respect between legislators, the more likely we are to create legacy policy. This is the reflection of a healthy government.
I am in favor of what we passed here in Colorado. A panel of 12 divided into 3 groups, 4 Democrats, 4 Republicans and 4 unaffiliated voters that will use data to draw district lines that are more fairly balanced.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Karen McCormick campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Colorado House of Representatives District 11Won general$45,959 $78,789
2022Colorado House of Representatives District 11Won general$93,608 $138,286
2020Colorado House of Representatives District 11Won general$78,888 N/A**
2018U.S. House Colorado District 4Lost general$976,113 $952,914
Grand total$1,194,568 $1,169,988
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Colorado

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Colorado scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021






See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 18, 2020
  2. Karen for Colorado, "About," accessed December 28, 2020
  3. Facebook, "Karen McCormick for Colorado," accessed December 28, 2020

Political offices
Preceded by
Jonathan Singer (D)
Colorado House of Representatives District 11
2021-Present
Succeeded by
-


Current members of the Colorado House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Julie McCluskie
Majority Leader:Monica Duran
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