Naquetta Ricks

Naquetta Ricks

Democratic Party

Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Janet Buckner

Compensation

Base salary

43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. $41,449/year for legislators whose terms began in 2021.

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the capitol: $237/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Personal

Profession

Business executive

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Campaign TikTok

Personal Facebook

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Naquetta Ricks (Democratic Party) is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 40. She assumed office on January 13, 2021. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Ricks (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 40. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Naquetta Ricks was born in Liberia. Ricks graduated from Aurora Central High School. She earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in business administration. Ricks' career experience includes operating a mortgage brokerage business.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Ricks was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, Vice Chair
• State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee

2021-2022

Ricks was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business Affairs and Labor Committee
• Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Incumbent Naquetta Ricks defeated Darryl Gibbs and Allison Spink in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks (D)	56.6	24,086
		Darryl Gibbs (R)	40.0	17,034
	Submit photo	Allison Spink (L)	3.4	1,446

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,566
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Incumbent Naquetta Ricks advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks	100.0	6,426

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,426
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Darryl Gibbs advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Darryl Gibbs	100.0	3,709

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,709
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ricks in this election.

2022

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Incumbent Naquetta Ricks defeated Le Sellers in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks (D)	61.1	20,116
		Le Sellers (R)	38.9	12,801

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,917
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Incumbent Naquetta Ricks advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks	100.0	7,124

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,124
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Le Sellers advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Le Sellers	100.0	5,475

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,475
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Naquetta Ricks defeated Richard Allen Bassett and Robert Harrison in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks (D)	59.2	25,508
		Richard Allen Bassett (R)	36.7	15,807
	Submit photo	Robert Harrison (L)	4.2	1,805

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,120
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Naquetta Ricks defeated John Ronquillo in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Naquetta Ricks	51.5	7,203
		John Ronquillo	48.5	6,793

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,996
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Richard Allen Bassett advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Allen Bassett	100.0	5,928

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,928
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 40

Robert Harrison advanced from the Libertarian convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 40 on April 13, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Robert Harrison (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Aurora, Colorado (2017)

The city of Aurora, Colorado, held elections for city council on November 7, 2017. Wards I, II, and III were up for election, as well as two at-large seats. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 29, 2017. Incumbent Marsha Berzins defeated Martha Lugo, Naquetta Ricks, Debi Hunter Holen, and Robert Hargrove in the Aurora City Council Ward III general election.

Aurora City Council, Ward III General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Marsha Berzins Incumbent	34.97%	1,954
Martha Lugo	22.55%	1,260
Naquetta Ricks	18.09%	1,011
Debi Hunter Holen	16.27%	909
Robert Hargrove	8.12%	454
Total Votes		5,588
Source: City of Aurora, "2017 Official Election Results," November 29, 2017

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Naquetta Ricks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Naquetta Ricks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Naquetta Ricks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ricks' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a mom, I am a small business owner and long-time House District resident for over30 years.

I am a Liberian immigrant who understands the challenges of immigration and the concerns of someone owning her own business. I started my business here, raised my daughter here, and serve the community here. I know what it is like to escape poverty as an immigrant and work hard to succeed in life as a mom and a successful business owner.

After graduating from Aurora Central, I earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Business Administration from Metro and CU respectively. I am the proud mother of a 24-year-old daughter and I've worked hard to provide for my family.

I also founded the Ricks Foundation is a non-profit 50l(c)3 organization that focuses on the empowerment of underprivileged and disenfranchised women and children with an emphasis on the immigrant community and communities of color. My numerous recognitions include the Colorado Black Round Table, National Council of Negro Women, including the "Salute" award from the Colorado Black Educators Association. Graduate of Leadership Denver and Leadership Aurora. I am also the Former Vice-Chair of the Aurora Public School Education Foundation. I am the chair of the African Chamber of Commerce.

I don't have the theory of how to contribute to Aurora. I have the robust history of how I have-and continue-to

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to represent all of House District 40-from essential workers to CEO's
• Currently there are no immigrant represented in Legislature and we deserve to be at the table of American Life
• There are serious issues facing Colorado and I want to participate in working on solutions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about equity in policy distribution. We need to provide insurance for all residents. We need to provide quality education for all children. We need to represent marginalized communities and provide them with support to become contributing members of society to the best of their abilities.

All too often, we do not consider the importance of essential workers and the necessity they have in society. We need to provide to their children and them, as well, the possibility that they can get higher-paying positions.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Naquetta Ricks campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Colorado House of Representatives District 40	Won general	$40,754	$47,705
2022	Colorado House of Representatives District 40	Won general	$77,538	$100,989
2020	Colorado House of Representatives District 40	Won general	$98,553	N/A**
Grand total			$216,845	$148,694
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Colorado

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Colorado scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 8. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 11. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Cobalt Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBTQ+ issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are usually scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals: U.S. Congress and General Assembly Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Colorado Education Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes related to education reflection and on how well legislators worked with educators to advance the CEA's priorities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

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Colorado House of Representatives District 40

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Colorado House of Representatives District 40

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Janet Buckner (D)	Colorado House of Representatives District 40 2021-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Colorado House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Julie McCluskie

Majority Leader:Monica Duran

Representatives

District 1

Javier Mabrey (D)

District 2

Steven Woodrow (D)

District 3

Meg Froelich (D)

District 4

Cecelia Espenoza (D)

District 5

Alex Valdez (D)

District 6

Sean Camacho (D)

District 7

Jennifer Bacon (D)

District 8

Lindsay Gilchrist (D)

District 9

Emily Sirota (D)

District 10

Junie Joseph (D)

District 11

Karen McCormick (D)

District 12

Kyle Brown (D)

District 13

Julie McCluskie (D)

District 14

Rose Pugliese (R)

District 15

Scott Bottoms (R)

District 16

Rebecca Keltie (R)

District 17

Regina English (D)

District 18

Amy Paschal (D)

District 19

Dan Woog (R)

District 20

Jarvis Caldwell (R)

District 21

Mary Bradfield (R)

District 22

Kenneth DeGraaf (R)

District 23

Monica Duran (D)

District 24

Lisa Feret (D)

District 25

Tammy Story (D)

District 26

Meghan Lukens (D)

District 27

Brianna Titone (D)

District 28

Sheila Lieder (D)

District 29

Shannon Bird (D)

District 30

Rebekah Stewart (D)

District 31

Jacque Phillips (D)

District 32

Manny Rutinel (D)

District 33

William Lindstedt (D)

District 34

Jenny Willford (D)

District 35

Lorena Garcia (D)

District 36

Michael Carter (D)

District 37

Chad Clifford (D)

District 38

Gretchen Rydin (D)

District 39

Brandi Bradley (R)

District 40

Naquetta Ricks (D)

District 41

Jamie Jackson (D)

District 42

Mandy Lindsay (D)

District 43

Robert Marshall (D)

District 44

Anthony Hartsook (R)

District 45

Max Brooks (R)

District 46

Tisha Mauro (D)

District 47

Ty Winter (R)

District 48

Carlos Barron (R)

District 49

Lesley Smith (D)

District 50

Ryan Gonzalez (R)

District 51

Ron Weinberg (R)

District 52

Yara Zokaie (D)

District 53

Andrew Boesenecker (D)

District 54

Matt Soper (R)

District 55

Rick Taggart (R)

District 56

Chris Richardson (R)

District 57

Elizabeth Velasco (D)

District 58

Larry Suckla (R)

District 59

Katie Stewart (D)

District 60

Stephanie Luck (R)

District 61

Eliza Hamrick (D)

District 62

Matthew Martinez (D)

District 63

Dusty Johnson (R)

District 64

Ryan Armagost (R)

District 65

Lori Sander (R)

Democratic Party (43)

Republican Party (22)