27-06-2025
'It all comes down to labor': Charles Perko looks to succeed Hinrichsen in Colorado Senate
Local Democrats may have a formidable candidate in United Steelworkers Local 3267 President Charles Perko to succeed outgoing Sen. Nick Hinrichsen.
Perko is running to be a November 2026 candidate for Colorado State Senate District 3. The district includes all of Pueblo County—a historically blue county that has shifted away from being a Democratic stronghold.
The union president is running a "blue collar" and "pro worker" campaign that addresses poverty, emphasizes economic opportunity and champions strong state labor protections.
"I'm a strong Democrat, I always have been," Perko told the Chieftain. "My family has been Democrat going back to the 1930s when my great grandparents became citizens, but there have been times—especially in the last few years—where some of the priorities that the party has aimed toward have not been particularly strong pro-Pueblo type issues."
Perko added that he wants to be a "voice for Pueblo" in instances where a particular policy may benefit Denver, but may hurt Pueblo "in a way that nobody's really thinking about."
"If I do go to Denver, I'm going to be that voice for Pueblo to make sure people understand, 'Hey, this might be good for the I-70 corridor to bring to bring down emissions, but it's hurting a lot of people lower income here in Pueblo. We need to think about this before we jump into these sorts of decisions.'" he said.
Perko also told the Chieftain that while Pueblo may doing better than other communities in the United States, it is still reeling from the impacts the early 1980s steel crisis. Efforts to maintain quality jobs have struggled to materialize, while companies "take advantage" of Pueblo's labor force.
When issues of economic opportunity and labor are adequately addressed, Perko believes other issues a community may experience "sort of fix themselves."
"When we don't have poverty, we have a lower crime rate. We have less people getting into mischief," he said. "When we don't have issues with finding good quality jobs that stick around, we don't have quite the homeless problem. When we have jobs that people enjoy doing, they don't have the propensity to utilize substances that make them have an inability to hold down a job. To me, it all comes down to labor."
If it were up to Perko, there would be no barriers to workers unionizing and advocating for their best interests.
When it comes to making sure that jobs in Pueblo are going to support our families and do what we need in order to support things that we value here—I'm probably going to be on board with that sort of policy," he said.
State Senate Race: Pueblo Republican launches bid to unseat Nick Hinrichsen in Colorado Senate District 3
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Who is Charles Perko? Pueblo Democrat looks to succeed Nick Hinrichsen
