Chris Hansen (politician)
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Christopher Joshi Hansen (born Christopher Craig Hansen; June 16, 1975) is an American politician who serves in the
Colorado Senate The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123, ...
from the 31st as a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
since 2020. Prior to his service in the state senate he served in 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 6th district from 2017 to 2020. Hansen was born in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, and raised in
Goodland, Kansas Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,465. It was named after Goodland, Indiana. Goodland is home to Northwest Kansas Technical College. H ...
. He graduated from
Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
,
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, and
Linacre College, Oxford Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its me ...
. He started working at
Cambridge Energy Research Associates Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) is a consulting company in the United States that specializes in advising governments and private companies on energy markets, geopolitics, industry trends, and strategy. CERA has research and consulting s ...
in 2005. Hansen was elected to the state house in the 2016 election and was reelected in the 2018 election. During his tenure in the state house he served as the chair of the Appropriations committee. A vacancy committee selected him to replace
Lois Court Lois Court is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. Initially elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2008, Court represented House District 6 from 2009 through 2016, and was elected to the Colorado Senate ...
in the state senate in 2020, and was elected in the following
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2023 Denver mayoral election.


Early life and education

Christopher Craig Hansen was born in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, on June 16, 1975, to Lana and Wallace Hansen. He was raised in
Goodland, Kansas Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,465. It was named after Goodland, Indiana. Goodland is home to Northwest Kansas Technical College. H ...
. He met Ulcca Shashee Joshi in 1998, married her on July 28, 2001, and had two children with her. Hansen later changed his middle name to Joshi. Hansen graduated from high school in 1993, from
Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in nuclear engineering in 1998, from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
with a
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in technology policy in 2003, and from
Linacre College, Oxford Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its me ...
with a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in economic geography in 2009. He also received a graduate diploma in civil engineering from the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
. Hansen served as president of the student body at Kansas State University from 1996 to 1997 after being elected with 57% of the vote and also served as president of the
Theta Xi Theta Xi () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on April 29, 1864. Of all the social fraternities today, Theta Xi was the only one founded during the Civil War. It ...
chapter. He started working at
Cambridge Energy Research Associates Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) is a consulting company in the United States that specializes in advising governments and private companies on energy markets, geopolitics, industry trends, and strategy. CERA has research and consulting s ...
in 2005.


Colorado Legislature


Elections

Hansen ran for a seat in 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 6th district in the 2016 election. His opponent Jeff Hart sent out campaign advertisements falsely accusing Hansen of being supported by the
National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...
and later apologized for it. Hansen accused Hart of being under investigation by the Denver district attorney for violating misinformation laws, but the district attorney told Hansen to retract his statement for violating misinformation laws. He defeated Hart in the Democratic primary and won in the general election without opposition. He was reelected in the 2018 election without opposition. Hansen announced on October 2, 2019, that he would run to succeed Court in the state senate in the 2020 election. Court received a diagnosis of
Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often ...
on December 31, and resigned on January 16, 2020. Attorney General
Phil Weiser Philip Jacob Weiser is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 39th Colorado Attorney General, since 2019. He is the Hatfield Professor of Law and Telecommunications, Executive Director and Founder of the Silicon Flatirons Center ...
nominated Hansen to replace Court at the vacancy committee vote and Representative
Janet Buckner Janet Buckner is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Colorado Senate who represents District 29, which includes a part of Aurora in Arapahoe County. During the 2020 reapportionment process, Buckner's residence moved from senate ...
seconded his nomination. Ninety-five of the one hundred twenty vacancy committee members voted for him against four other candidates on January 16, and he was sworn in on January 21. A vacancy committee voted to appoint
Steven Woodrow Steven Lezell Woodrow is a Colorado politician. Early life Woodrow spent his early life in Michigan. Woodrow's mother taught public school at Bingham Farms elementary in Michigan. Education Woodrow attended the University of Michigan where he m ...
to replace Hansen in the state house on February 4. Hansen defeated Maria E. Orms for the Democratic nomination and won in the general election against
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 ...
nominee Doug Townsend. Hansen and Senator
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
were drawn into the 22nd district following reapportionment for the 2022 election.


Tenure

During Hansen's tenure in the state house he served as the chair of the Appropriations committee and on the Joint Budget committee. During his tenure in the state senate he has served on the Appropriations, Finance, and State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committees. He also replaced Senator
Rachel Zenzinger Rachel Zenzinger is an American politician from the state of Colorado. A Democrat, Zenzinger has represented the 19th district of the Colorado Senate since 2017, following her defeat of Laura J. Woods; she previously represented the same seat ...
on the Joint Budget committee before Zenzinger returned to the committee by replacing
Dominick Moreno Dominick Moreno is an American politician, currently serving as a state legislator in Colorado. A Democrat, Moreno was elected to the 21st district of the Colorado Senate in 2016. He previously represented the 32nd district in the Colorado Hous ...
. Hansen filed to run in the 2023 Denver mayoral election on November 14, 2022, but failed to advance to the runoff after placing sixth and endorsed Kelly Brough. He raised $623,749.37 and spent $609,576.06 during the campaign.


Political positions

Hansen sponsored legislation to change the name of
Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. ...
to be in honor of
Frances Xavier Cabrini Frances Xavier Cabrini ( it, Francesca Saverio Cabrini; July 15, 1850 – December 22, 1917), also called Mother Cabrini, was an Italian-American Catholic religious sister. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a ...
. He and Representative
Dafna Michaelson Jenet Dafna Michaelson Jenet (born November 14, 1972) is a Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives. She represents House District 32 and prior to redistricting, District 30, which covered a portion of Adams County including parts ...
sponsored a resolution criticizing President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's
travel ban A travel ban is one of a variety of mobility restrictions imposed by governments. Bans can be universal or selective. The restrictions can be geographic, imposed by either the originating or destination jurisdiction. They can also be based on indiv ...
. He support legislation to end
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
in Colorado. He was one of the signatories of a letter sent to Representatives
Lauren Boebert Lauren Opal Boebert ( ; ; born December 19, 1986) is an American politician, businesswoman, and gun rights activist. A member of the Republican Party, she serves as the U.S. representative for . From 2013 to 2022, she owned Shooters Grill, a ...
and
Doug Lamborn Douglas Lawrence Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. His district is based in Colorado Springs. Early life and career Born ...
calling for them to resign for inciting the
2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in pow ...
. He supported Denver's camping ban. The Colorado
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...
awarded Hansen as the state legislator of the year for 2019. He received an A rating from
NARAL Pro-Choice America NARAL Pro-Choice America, commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose restrictions on abortion, to expand access to ...
and was endorsed by the organization in the 2018 election. He received a 100% rating from the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
in 2017, 2018, and 2019.;
;


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Chris 1975 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Democratic Party Colorado state senators Politicians from Denver Alumni of the University of Oxford Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Kansas State University alumni 21st-century American politicians