Former Pueblo school board director launches bid for Colorado Senate District 3 seat

Yahoo

17-07-2025

Another Democratic candidate has entered the 2026 Colorado State Senate District 3 race to be Nick Hinrichsen's successor.
Taylor Voss has served on the Pueblo School District 60 School Board, been appointed to the Colorado Humanities Board of Directors by Gov. Jared Polis, and is the current director of philanthropy for Sangre de Cristo Community Care. The state senate district Voss is running to represent includes all of Pueblo County.
If elected, Voss told the Chieftain he would look to address issues related to crime, public safety and economic development. He'd also prioritize addressing homelessness, "tackling" poverty, and bolstering the public education system, according to a campaign news release.
Other candidates running for the Colorado State Senate District 3 seat, as of July 16, include Democrats Aaron Gutierrez and Charles Perko. Dana Charles is the only Republican to file for the race, according to Colorado Transparency in Contribution and Expenditure Reporting (TRACER).
"Everything I have in life, I owe to this community," Voss told the Chieftain. "It's always been a huge passion of mine to make sure I'm doing everything I can to really give back, have an impact and make a difference. I saw running for this seat as a great opportunity to do that."
Voss said crime and public safety are the most important issues facing Pueblo County residents. He plans to reduce crime with a multi-faceted approach that addresses poverty, supports education, youth programs, mental health services and addiction treatment.
"A big part of my campaign, too, is just getting community members involved," he said. "I think that there is more that we can do, just on a neighborhood level, about empowering citizens to come together through meetings and organize to ensure that their neighborhoods are more safe."
When it comes to addressing homelessness, Voss said it will be important for local legislators to increase "cross-sector collaboration" with nonprofits and other organizations. As the director of philanthropy for a nonprofit organization and someone who has held multiple positions with nonprofits, Voss said it is important that organizations receive enough funding to "do the jobs they do."
"I'm a big believer that government shouldn't be solving everything and working on every issue in every way," he said. "I think what we have to do is collaborate with partners in the community. That includes nonprofits and for-profit corporations, companies and small businesses in the community."
Additionally, Voss said he "greatly appreciates" the work done for Pueblo County by Hinrichsen and the state senators who came before him. However, if elected, he would approach his seat in the Colorado Legislature with "a fresh perspective" and a "new way of doing things."
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at [e-mail]. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Former Pueblo D60 school board director enters Colorado Senate race
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