Julie Lynn McCluskie (born January 12, 1964) is an American politician who is a member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

from the 13th district, which includes the counties of Chaffee,

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and

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, including the communities of Salida, Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco and

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. Prior to 2023, she represented the 61st district, which included the counties of

, Pitkin,

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, and Gunnison. In 2022, McCluskie was selected as the next Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives.

Background

McCluskie was born and raised in

Dillon, Colorado The Town of Dillon is a home rule municipality located in Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,064 at the 2020 United States Census, a +17.70% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Dillon is a part of the Bre ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biochemistry from

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

. McCluskie served as the director of human resources for

Xanterra Travel Collection Xanterra Travel Collection (formerly Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Amfac Resorts and Amfac Parks & Resorts) is a privately owned American park and resort management company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, controlled by entertainment magnate Phi ...

in Aurora, Colorado. She later served as the director of communications for Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia before working as the Communications Coordinator for Summit School District and as the Regional Development Officer for

Colorado Mountain College Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in western Colorado. Founded in 1965, the institution offers numerous associate degrees, seven bachelor's degrees and a variety of career-technical certificates. ...

. McCluskie was elected in the general election on November 6, 2018, winning 63 percent of the vote over 37 percent of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate Mike Mason. In her first term, McCluskie was appointed to the House Education Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and the Agriculture, Livestock, and Water Committee. In January 2020, McCluskie was appointed to the Joint Budget Committee. McCluskie was re-elected for a second term in the general election on November 3, 2020, winning 60 percent of the vote over 40 percent of

candidate Kim McGahey. McCluskie was again appointed to the Joint Budget Committee immediately following her re-election. In the 2022 Colorado House elections, McCluskie was re-elected with around 60% of the votes cast. On November 11, 2022, McCluskie was chosen as the new Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives. Of the selection, McCluskie said "My heart is still full with how honored I am by this recognition from my colleagues, it is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility."

References

1964 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Colorado State University alumni McCluskie, Julie Living people Women state legislators in Colorado {{Colorado-politician-stub