Andrew Steven Kerr (born October 21, 1968) is an American teacher and politician who serves on the county commission in Jefferson County, Colorado. Prior to his tenure on the county commission he served in the Colorado House of Representatives from the 26th district from 2006 to 2013, and in the Colorado Senate from the 22nd district from 2013 to 2019, as a member of the Democratic Party.
Kerr moved to Lakewood, Colorado, when he was eight and was educated at Green Mountain High School and the University of Colorado Denver. He was appointed to the state house to replace Betty Boyd and was reelected in the 2006, 2008, and 2010 elections. During his tenure in the state house he served as the Majority Whip and Assistant Majority Leader. He chose to run for a seat in the state senate after redistricting put him and another Democratic representative in the same district. He was elected to the state senate in the 2012 and 2014 elections.
He ran for the Democratic nomination in the Colorado's 7th congressional district during the 2018 election, but dropped out after Representative Ed Perlmutter announced that he would seek reelection. Kerr was elected to the Jefferson County Commission in the 2020 election.
In 2006, Betty Boyd, a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, was selected by a vacancy committee to replace Deanna Hanna in the Colorado Senate following Hanna's resignation. Kerr was selected by a vacancy committee to replace Boyd in the state house.[7] He defeated Republican nominee Glenn Rhoades in the 2006 election.[8] He defeated Republican nominee Ray Warren in the 2008 election.[9] He defeated Republican nominee Mark A. Barrington in the 2010 election.[10]Lois Court, who later served as the President pro tempore of the state senate, worked as his campaign manager and legislative aid.[11]
Kerr, Max Tyler, and Ken Summers were reapportioned into the same district following the 2010 United States census. Kerr announced on December 19, 2011, that he would run for a seat in the state senate from the 22nd district rather than run against Tyler in the state house primary.[12][13] He defeated Republican nominee Summers in the 2012 election.[14][15] He defeated Republican nominee Tony Sanchez in the 2014 election.[16][17]
Tenure
During Kerr's tenure in the state house he served on the Education, Finance, and Judiciary committees.[18][19] He and Representative Rhonda Fields received death threats in 2013 due to their support of gun control legislation.[20] He was selected to replace Representative Dorothy Butcher as Majority Whip after her resignation in 2007.[21] He was later selected to serve as the Assistant Majority Leader.[4] In 2014, he nominated Senator Matt Jones to serve as the Minority Whip.[22]
Ed Perlmutter, a member of the United States House of Representatives from the 7th congressional district, announced on April 9, 2017, that he would run in the gubernatorial election.[6] Kerr announced on April 12, that he would seek the Democratic nomination in the congressional district for the 2018 election and later selected Shad Murib, who previously served as the chief of staff of the Colorado Senate Democrats and managed Kerry Donovan's 2014 campaign, as his campaign manager.[23][24] However, Perlmutter announced that he would run for reelection on August 21, after having dropped out of the gubernatorial election, causing Senator Dominick Moreno and Representative Brittany Pettersen to end their campaigns.[25] Kerr ended his campaign on August 22, and endorsed Perlmutter.[26] During the campaign he raised and spent $124,888.98.[1]