Brianna Titone

Brianna Titone
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 27th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2019
Preceded byLang Sias
Personal details
BornNew York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationState University of New York, New Paltz (BS)
Stony Brook University (MS)
University of Denver (MS)

Brianna Titone (/tɪˈtoʊn/[1]) is an American politician and scientist, currently serving as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 27th district.[2] Titone serves in the 74th Colorado General Assembly and is the first openly transgender state legislator elected in Colorado and the 4th elected in the United States.[3]

Early life and education

Titone was born and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York.[4][5]

Titone earned her bachelor’s degrees in geology and physics from the State University of New York at New Paltz, attending from 1996 to 2002.[3][6][7][8] Titone later earned a master's degree in geochemistry at Stony Brook University,[7] and another master's degree in information and communications technology at the University of Denver.[7] At Stony Brook, Titone’s master's thesis was on the rare-earth element thorium and speciation of fossils and sediments of the Green River Formation. Some of Titone’s research was conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory using the National Synchrotron Light Source X-26A and X-18B beamlines.

Career

Before entering politics, Titone worked as a mining consultant, geologist, and software developer.[9][7][3] For seven years, beginning in high school, Titone was a volunteer firefighter.[3][6]

Politics

In 2016, Titone joined the Jefferson County, Colorado Democratic LGBT caucus and was elected its Secretary/Treasurer,[6][10] and later appointed a "captain at large".[6]

Titone declared a run for Colorado House of Representatives HD27 in December 2017. Titone received 50.4% of the vote to win the election with 24,957 votes out of 49,475, a margin of 439.[11] Titone serves on the Health and Insurance Committee, the Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Technology Committee,[12] and was also appointed to the Energy Council.

In the 2nd regular session of the 72nd General Assembly, Titone worked to bring back and pass the bill banning the "Gay or Trans Panic Defense". The bill passed on a margin of 98-1-1.[13]

Titone won re-election in the most competitive House race in Colorado, earning 29,566 (48.7%) of 60,708 votes against two opponents in the November 2020 election.[14]

In the 2022 general election, Titone was re-elected with around 57.7% of the votes cast.[15] Later in November, Titone was selected to serve as caucus chair of the state House majority which is a first for a trans lawmaker to serve in an elected leadership position in a General Assembly.[16] She was re-elected in 2024.[17]

Electoral history

2018

Colorado's 27th House district Democratic primary, 2018[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone 9,893 100.0
Total votes 9,893 100.0
Colorado's 27th House district election, 2018[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone 24,957 50.44
Republican Vicki Pyne 24,518 49.56
Total votes 49,475 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2020

Colorado's 27th House district Democratic primary, 2020[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone (incumbent) 17,469 100.0
Total votes 17,469 100.0
Colorado's 27th House district election, 2020[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone (incumbent) 29,566 48.70
Republican Vicki Pyne 27,674 45.59
Libertarian Cory Schaeffer 3,468 5.71
Total votes 60,708 100.0
Democratic hold

2022

Colorado's 27th House district Democratic primary, 2022[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone (incumbent) 9,586 100.0
Total votes 9.586 100.0
Colorado's 27th House district election, 2022[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Brianna Titone (incumbent) 26,380 57.74
Republican Lynn Emrick 18,169 39.77
Libertarian Jacob Luria 1,136 2.49
Total votes 45,685 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. ^ campaign ad, CBS Denver report
  2. ^ "Brianna Titone Makes History As First Openly Transgender State Legislator In Colorado". KCNC-TV, November 12, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Andrew Kenney, "Colorado’s first transgender legislator: How Brianna Titone flipped a Republican district", Denver Post, November 10, 2018
  4. ^ "Representative Brianna Titone: HD27". Representative Brianna Titone: HD27. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Mark Harden, Brianna Titone’s opponent concedes; Colo.’s first transgender legislator elected, November 11, 2018, The Gazette
  7. ^ a b c d Marianne Goodland, Meet Brianna Titone, Colorado’s first transgender lawmaker, November 24, 2018, The Gazette
  8. ^ "Alumni Notes". New Paltz: The Alumni Magazine. No. Spring and Summer 2019. p. 34.
  9. ^ Alex Burness, Brianna Titone, Colorado’s first transgender candidate for state office, declares victory in Arvada, November 8, 2018, The Colorado Independent
  10. ^ Rafaella Gunz, Meet Brianna Titone, the woman who could become Colorado's first trans state representative Archived March 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, August 25, 2018, Gay Star News
  11. ^ "Colorado House of Representatives District 27". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Profile page for Representative Titone". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  13. ^ "SB20-221 Details Page". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Profile page for Representative Titone". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "Colorado State House - District 27 Election Results | Journal Sentinel". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  16. ^ Birkeland, Bente (November 12, 2022). "Colorado's new Democratic leaders are more diverse than ever, most are women". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  17. ^ Westeman, Corinne (November 6, 2024). "Titone reelected to Colorado House District 27". Golden Transcript. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "June 30, 2020 Primary Election - State House". Colorado Election Results.
  20. ^ "2018 General Election Results - State Representative". Colorado Secretary of State.
  21. ^ "State Representative - District 27 - Democratic Party". Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "State Representative - District 27". Retrieved May 1, 2023.