State Sen. Faith Winter, a Broomfield Democrat and the mother of two children, was killed Wednesday night in a multi-vehicle crash south of Denver.
The wreck happened about 6 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 near Dry Creek Road.
Deputy John Bartmann of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said there were three people injured and one killed in the five-vehicle crash. He said the cause of the wreck is under investigation.
“The cause is going to take some time to figure out,” he said.
Bartmann said he could not provide information on who was killed and injured in the crash. But The Colorado Sun learned that Winter was the person who died, which was later confirmed by top Democrats at the Capitol.
Winter, 45, had a son and daughter. Winter was engaged to be married to former state Rep. Matt Gray, a fellow Democrat.
Winter was a fierce advocate for transit and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. She was entering her 12th and final year as a state lawmaker because of term limits.
Colorado Sen. Faith Winter, D-Broomfield, speaks to reporters during a news conference about the state’s 2035 transportation plan in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
Senate President James Coleman and Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, both Denver Democrats, confirmed Winter’s death in a written statement and said they are “devastated” and that their “hearts are with Sen. Winter’s family and friends as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
“Sen. Winter was a colleague whose presence brought warmth and an invaluable perspective to the Capitol,” the senators said. “We will miss her leadership, her partnership, and her deep commitment to a brighter Colorado.”
Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement the state is “shaken” by Winter’s passing, calling her a “fierce advocate for hardworking Coloradans, women, and families, and our climate.”
“I am deeply saddened for her family, her friends and colleagues, and her community,” Polis said, adding that he has known Winter for 20 years. “Faith’s work and advocacy made Colorado a better state.”
Beloved by her colleagues, Winter often had her dog, Queso, in tow at the Capitol. Her daughter sold Girl Scout cookies. She was quick to offer a hug to those having a bad day.
But she was also a skilled and tough policymaker, especially when it came to transportation and environmental issues.
State Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, shows off the stack of amendments she was prepared to offer on her paid family and parental leave bill on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
Among Winter’s accomplishments in the legislature was passing a measure raising billions of dollars for transportation projects in Colorado by imposing new fees on the purchase of gas and diesel fuel, as well as rideshare rides and deliveries. She helped pass a ballot measure creating a government-run paid family and parental leave program. And she rose to become the assistant Senate majority leader, the No. 3 role in the chamber in 2023.
In 2018, when she was a state representative, Winter came forward to allege she had been sexually harassed by a fellow Democratic state lawmaker, Rep. Steve Lebsock. The Colorado House ultimately voted to oust Lebsock, in large part because of Winter’s decision to speak about her experience.
Lebsock’s ouster led the legislature to bolster its workplace harassment policies and eventually hire someone for the first time to field complaints.
When she wasn’t at the Capitol. Winter worked to train Democratic women across the country on how to run for office. Before being elected to the Colorado legislature in 2014, Winter served on the Westminster City Council from 2007 to 2015.
Winter was engaged to be married to former state Rep. Matt Gray, a fellow Democrat.
State Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, and her dog, Queso, in Winter’s office at the Colorado Capitol. (Carly Rose, Rocky Mountain PBS via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)
House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, and House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, called Winter “an exceptional legislator, a champion for working people and a steadfast defender of our environment and abortion rights.”
McCluckie and Duran, in a statement, called Winter a “trailblazer” who “always fought for Colorado’s most vulnerable.”
Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, said “Winter was always there to challenge us to do unimaginable things in the service of the people who need the most help.”
Winter had health struggles during her time at the Capitol. In 2022, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that nearly killed her. A year later, she suffered a head injury in a bike accident. Then, in 2024, Winter briefly stepped away from her legislative work to seek medical treatment for alcoholism.
The decision to seek treatment came after she appeared to be intoxicated while attending a community hearing in Northglenn that year. The Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics found that Winter failed to meet the Senate’s ethics standards requiring that she promote public integrity and public confidence.
A Democratic vacancy committee in Senate District 25 will determine who will serve out Winter’s term.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
