Steven Woodrow

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Steven Woodrow
Image of Steven Woodrow
Colorado House of Representatives District 2
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor
Prior offices
Colorado House of Representatives District 6
Successor: Elisabeth Epps
Predecessor: Chris Hansen

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

Education

Bachelor's

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2002

Law

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2005

Personal
Religion
Jewish
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Steven Woodrow (Democratic Party) is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 2. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Woodrow (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 2. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Steven Woodrow was born in Detroit, Michigan.[1] Woodrow earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 2002 and a juris doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2005. His career experience includes working as an attorney, as an adjunct law professor with the Chicago-Kent College of Law, and for Judge Anne C. Williams on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.[1][2]

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

Woodrow was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Woodrow 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

2024

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Steven Woodrow defeated Michael DiManna in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow (D)
 
74.2
 
38,829
Michael DiManna (R) Candidate Connection
 
25.8
 
13,501

Total votes: 52,330
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Steven Woodrow advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow
 
100.0
 
11,694

Total votes: 11,694
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2

Michael DiManna advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Michael DiManna Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,015

Total votes: 2,015
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Woodrow in this election.

2022

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Steven Woodrow defeated Stephanie Wheeler and Justin Savoy in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow (D) Candidate Connection
 
75.4
 
34,213
Stephanie Wheeler (R) Candidate Connection
 
23.1
 
10,476
Justin Savoy (L)
 
1.5
 
689

Total votes: 45,378
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 2

Incumbent Steven Woodrow advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
14,067

Total votes: 14,067
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 2

Stephanie Wheeler advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 2 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Stephanie Wheeler Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,953

Total votes: 3,953
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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2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 6

Incumbent Steven Woodrow defeated William McAleb and Jeffrey Crowe in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 6 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow (D) Candidate Connection
 
71.9
 
36,302
Image of William McAleb
William McAleb (R) Candidate Connection
 
25.2
 
12,711
Jeffrey Crowe (L)
 
3.0
 
1,508

Total votes: 50,521
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 6

Incumbent Steven Woodrow defeated Steven Paletz and Dan Himelspach in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 6 on June 30, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Woodrow
Steven Woodrow Candidate Connection
 
45.7
 
11,143
Image of Steven Paletz
Steven Paletz Candidate Connection
 
31.0
 
7,560
Image of Dan Himelspach
Dan Himelspach
 
23.3
 
5,673

Total votes: 24,376
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 6

William McAleb advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 6 on June 30, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of William McAleb
William McAleb Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,944

Total votes: 3,944
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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 6

Jeffrey Crowe advanced from the Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 6 on April 13, 2020.

Candidate
Jeffrey Crowe (L)

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 Woodrow's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steven Woodrow did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

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

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Shortly before I was born, my father was diagnosed with terminal heart disease. He held on though and ultimately died when I was 16 months old. When my mother went back to teach in a public school outside of Detroit, we faced our share of struggle, but we didn’t fall through the cracks. We benefited from family, our community and, critically, the social safety net. We also had the support of family here in Colorado, where we would often come to visit.That spirit of resilience, commitment to family, and value of community is built into the core of the progressive I am today. I’m fortunate that despite early hardships, the system worked for us. My sister and I were able to go to good public schools and, ultimately, I got to attend the University of Michigan as a political science major. I went to law school in Chicago. It was also at that time that I reconnected with a crush from my childhood named Johanna, who I’m now proud to call my wife. After graduating I worked as a litigator where I tried and arbitrated a range of consumer protection and landlord tenant matters.My wife and I are both small business owners. We’re proud DPS parents and members of Rodef Shalom. I’m also a firm believer in grassroots activism. We’re at our best as Americans when we’re taking care of each other, and I fight to ensure that workers, families, and consumers have a voice under the Dome. Also, I’m an insufferable dad joke teller, a below average a below average speller, and a Ms. Pac man wizard.
  • Housing is a human right. In my three Sessions down at the Capitol I have consistently fought for affordable housing, solutions to address homelessness, and tenants' rights. I've sponsored legislation that has allocated over $650 million in federal relief dollars to the construction and conversion of affordable housing units, the preservation of existing affordable housing, and a $105 million grant program for local governments and nonprofits to tackle homelessness in their areas--including money for shelter space, transitional housing, permanent housing, mental and physical health services, training and employment centers, and outreach. I will continue to support renter protections, zoning reform, public developer , and rent stabilization.
  • As a Nation, gun violence has been a horrific policy failure. Since coming into the legislature I have sponsored and helped pass multiple gun violence prevention bills including safe storage of firearms, reporting lost and stolen guns, the repeal of state-level preemption of local gun laws, the creation of the Office of GVP, the closing of the so-called “Boyfriend Loophole” and my bill, which closed the “Charleston Loophole” and expanded Colorado’s background check system to include violent misdemeanors. And this past Session we fixed our possession of a weapon by a previous offender law and passed a law to ensure firearms aren’t present at polling locations.We also need to get serious about limiting access to AR-15s and similar weapons.
  • Man made climate change is real and represents a threat to our national security. Clean air, water, and soil are essential for our economic survival and the well-being of our communities. We need to expand community recycling and composting programs and work to develop appropriate end markets. We must also fight to conserve our natural resources and resist the auctioning off of our public lands to the highest bidder. We respect scientists and support efforts to promote renewable energy, energy conservation, and the transition to a green energy grid. Sustainable growth and modernizing transportation systems should be done with an eye on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, increasing density, conserving limited water resources, honoring in
Colorado consumers enjoy some of the weakest protections in the Nation. We need to fix the Colorado Consumer Protection Act so that it provides an actual avenue for relief for persons harmed by wrongful corporate conduct. We need to examine our procurement laws and process to ensure that entities looking to do business with the State of Colorado are not directly or indirectly promoting discrimination or anti-competitive conduct. We also need to repeal the penalty on filings, which requires that any consumer who loses a tort case on a motion to dismiss must pay the defendant’s legal fees.

In my first session, I was the prime sponsor in the House of SB20-080, which would have restored damages available under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. Fast forward to 2022, we have passed HB22-1071 in both chambers and it has been signed by the Governor. We also passed HB22- 1089 a bill that closes a loophole that allowed Uber, Lyft, and other ride shares to deny coverage to passengers in the event of hit-and-run accidents.

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

Steven Woodrow completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Woodrow'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'm State Representative Steven Woodrow from CO House District 6 in Denver. I live in Wash Park with my wife and two sons. We love HD6 and do cool Colorado things like camping, hiking, and shopping at King Soopers (with a mask on!) I've served in the legislature since February 7, 2020 when (now Senator) Chris Hansen moved on to the Senate. Since then I've fought hard to ensure that Colorado's response to COVID-19 protects our workers, families, and small businesses. Working with my colleagues we've been able-amidst a budget crisis and over $3.1 billion in cuts-to secure $20 million from the federal CARES Act for rental and mortgage assistance. I've also co-sponsored SB-217 (Law Enforcement Accountability and integrity Act) as well as our State's historic repeal of the death penalty. I'm an advocate for racial, social, environmental, and economic justice. I've spent my legal career litigating complex class actions against some of the nation's largest banks, financial institutions, telemarketers, and debt collectors. Prior to winning the vacancy election, I served as Co-Captain of HD6B-organizing our neighbors to ensure our values were heard. It's been an honor to serve and live those values down at the Capitol.
  • I'm the only candidate in the race who has a proven record of fighting for our values. I've fought for HD6 every day since being elected via vacancy back in February and have formed genuine relationships with my colleagues at the Statehouse so we can get real things done.
  • We need leaders more interested in justice than special interests. I've taken no Corporate PAC money-I'm the only candidate fighting to get big money OUT of our politics-and have earned the endorsements of over 24 elected officials and numerous community organizations (CO AFL-CIO, CEA/DCTA, CO WFP, COBALT, CO Ceasefire & Designated Moms Guns Sense Candidate), SW Carpenters, CO Medical Society and more!)
  • We need leaders who understand the American Dream-the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules you ought to be able to do better than your parents did. I'm here to expand that Dream-to make it a reality-for as many people as possible.
I am a fierce consumer advocate. All too often workers and consumers are taken advantage of by large corporate interests. We need legislators who stand up for people and understand the tricks corporate lawyers and lobbyists use to beat back reform efforts.

I support getting money out of our politics. My first week at the Capitol I started the process of drafting legislation for publicly financed State House and Senate races.

I care deeply about public education and educators. Even through this pandemic and attendant budget cuts we have been able to secure additional funding for our schools (and more can be saved through TABOR reform and via and repeal of the Gallagher Amendment).

I've also fought to preserve the senior homestead exemption. Now is not the time to ask our elderly residents-many of whom survive on fixed incomes-to shoulder the financial burden of this pandemic.

I also care deeply about facts and science. For this reason I support efforts to tackle man-made climate change. This session I was proud to introduce a bill to repeal the "ban on bans" our state law that prohibits local governments from taking action to address plastic waste and pollution. I also signed on as a co-sponsor to SB163, which is legislation designed to limit vaccination exemptions so that we can improve our State's low vaccination rates.

Ultimately I care about our traditional Democratic values-fighting for workers, families, and the American Dream.
Honestly, integrity. Someone who cares more about doing the job right than keeping the job. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is looking-but especially when it is hard. I've fought my entire life for people vs. big money, and I've been honored to continue that fight in office.
I'm a current officeholder, and my legal skills combined with my life experience make me uniquely qualified. I've been working in the House District for years-I didn't just start showing up when I caught wind that a State Senator was contemplating retirement. I carry the memory of that service with me every day.

I also lost my dad when I was an infant. I understand what it means to struggle financially-the stress of living paycheck to paycheck, unable to make any mistakes lest my budget be completely blown. After my father died my mom went back to teach public school for 27 years. Watching her serve as the primary breadwinner for years taught me the value of persistence and hard work, especially in the face of adversity.
My campaign slogan, BetterThanWeFoundIt, is all about this question. I love camping, and my sons both know that the first rule of the campsite is we leave it better than we found it. Not just as good, but better, so that the new group that comes along can enjoy the opportunities we've had. That ethos impacts everything we've done in our campaign and down under the Dome. On every bill we ask how does this leave Colorado better than we found it. I firmly believe that healthcare is a human right, that we need strong public schools and well-paid teachers, and that we must take steps to combat climate change. We can't leave this place better than we found it if we end up with more people uninsured or uncovered, if our schools are falling apart and our teachers are fleeing the profession, and if we leave our kids and grandkids a planet that sees its water, soil and air irredeemably polluted.
I remember the Challenger exploding when I was 6 years old in Kindergarden. We watched it live. We were all so excited because Christa Mcauliffe, a teacher, was on board. I also remember the fall of the Berlin Wall when I was 11.
Technically my first job was folding t-shirts for my step-dad for his small business. My first "real" job though was as a bag boy at Kroger. I had it for just over a year, after which I got my license and started valeting cars. I'll never forget that year at Kroger though. Growing up in Michigan we could have some really cold, brutally wet winters. I remember vividly going out to "clear the lot" of metal shopping carts and smashing my fingers in between them (there were "cart returns" like they have now, and we certainly didn't have those cool motorized pushers they have now-it was just us pushing in the slush and sleet).

My favorite memory of that job was when I was selected by my store to represent us in the regional "baggers competition." The winner got to go on Dave Letterman. Despite my training, I didn't advance. But it was hilarious and humiliating and humbling and it's those types of moments that remind me-now having practiced law for over 15 years and having served in the State legislature-of where I come from.
Way of the Peaceful Warrior.
I lost my dad when I was an infant, and I've inherited his heart condition. I understand how scary it can be to have an illness with no real cure. I understand the skyrocketing costs of healthcare as well as the tremendous work our doctors, nurses, and medical providers do. Growing up things were tough but we made it through, largely due to help from the social safety net. I understand what it means to have been given a hand-up, not a hand-out, and I'm here to pay it forward to the next generation.
Yes. I've learned so much about legislating since I entered the Capitol. Being an effective legislator requires understanding the stakeholdering process, relationship building, and what it means to be an ally. I've used my legal skillset gained from 15 years of practice to assist my colleagues in crafting effective and impactful legislation, but the lessons I've learned down at the Capitol simply can't be taught until you're in the building.
It is absolutely imperative to build strong relationships with your colleagues, and it has been my focus since taking office. People want to work with those they trust. Additionally, few legislators have the time or skills to carefully read every last bill and amendment that is introduced. So much of legislating comes down to relationships and trust. Certain members of the body are gatekeepers based on the committees they sit on. It is imperative that these folks trust you and your work if you intend on getting your bills enacted into law.
We're fortunate to have an independent commission in Colorado set up to redraw the lines. We need this process to be free from partisanship but driven by equity and an eye for ensuring fair and proportionate representation.
I've had the privilege this past session of serving on State, Military & Veterans Affairs and Rural Affairs and Agriculture.

SVMA is exciting. It is where exceptionally contentious and controversial bills are heard (and often killed if they are particularly bad). This year we heard bills that would have banned gay marriage and adoption, imprisoned doctors who treated trans youth, banned abortion after 22 weeks, allowed business owners to "stand their ground" at work, and turned CO into a "right to work" state.

Agriculture is the polar opposite. It is a model of bi-partisanship where both sides of the aisle come together to address issues like water rights, our fire preparedness, and other issues impacting rural Colorado.

Both committees remind me that my colleagues are there to fight for the people and interests they represent.

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.


Steven Woodrow campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Colorado House of Representatives District 2Won general$17,829 $23,167
2022Colorado House of Representatives District 2Won general$40,567 $33,175
2020Colorado House of Representatives District 6Won general$156,944 N/A**
Grand total$215,340 $56,342
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


2020





See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 14, 2020
  2. LinkedIn, "Steven Woodrow," accessed May 6, 2023

Political offices
Preceded by
Alec Garnett (D)
Colorado House of Representatives District 2
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Chris Hansen (D)
Colorado House of Representatives District 6
2020-2023
Succeeded by
Elisabeth Epps (D)


Current members of the Colorado House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Julie McCluskie
Majority Leader:Monica Duran
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
Dan Woog (R)
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Ty Winter (R)
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
Democratic Party (43)
Republican Party (22)