John Cooke
John Cooke (Republican Party) was a member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 13. He assumed office on January 7, 2015. He left office on January 9, 2023.
Cooke (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 13. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
Cooke was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Arvada West High School. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Northern Colorado. His professional experience includes working for the Breckenridge Police Department and for the Weld County Sheriff's Office. He served as Weld County Sheriff from 2002 to 2014.[1]
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.
2021-2022
Cooke was assigned to the following committees:
- Legal Services Committee
- Legislative Council Committee
- Legislative Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
2019-2020
Cooke was assigned to the following committees:
- Legal Services Committee
- Legislative Council Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Legislative Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Committee
- Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal Justice System Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Colorado committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy |
| • Judiciary, Vice chair |
| • Transportation, Vice chair |
| • Legal Services, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Cooke served on the following committees:
| Colorado committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
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.
Campaign themes
2014
Cooke's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
State Budget
- Excerpt: "Just like Colorado families must do, the state should employ a priority-based budget process. Rather than just funding state agencies at the previous year’s level plus, every department should be required to prioritize its budget, with taxpayer money allocated to the most important priorities and effective programs."
Second Amendment
- Excerpt: "I support the right of Coloradans to defend their homes, their families, their place of business, and themselves."
Agriculture/Water
- Excerpt: "For agriculture to continue thriving in Colorado, we must protect our water. I support additional water storage including the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) and the Windy Gap Project to ensure we have the water we need to support population growth, development, agriculture, and recreation."
Energy and Environment
- Excerpt: "Colorado is blessed with plentiful natural resources and beautiful landscapes. Consumers and the environment both benefit with a market approach toward energy resources free from mandates and government selected winners and losers."
K-12 Education
- Excerpt: "Funding should follow the child. School districts should be free to pay great teachers what they are worth and it should be easier to keep good teachers because every child deserves access to effective teachers."
Elections
2022
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2022
John Cooke was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2018
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Colorado State Senate District 13
Incumbent John Cooke defeated Phil Kelley and Eric Joss in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 13 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John Cooke (R) | 58.7 | 33,026 | |
| Phil Kelley (D) | 38.1 | 21,453 | ||
| Eric Joss (L) | 3.2 | 1,776 | ||
| Total votes: 56,255 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 13
Phil Kelley advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 13 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Phil Kelley | 100.0 | 7,667 | |
| Total votes: 7,667 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 13
Incumbent John Cooke advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 13 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John Cooke | 100.0 | 10,763 | |
| Total votes: 10,763 | ||||
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2014
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Colorado State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 31, 2014. Joe Perez was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while John Cooke was unopposed in the Republican primary. Cooke defeated Perez in the general election.[3][4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  John Cooke |
63.7% | 26,063 | |
| Democratic | Joe Perez | 36.3% | 14,879 | |
| Total Votes | 40,942 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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.
Endorsements
2014
Click here to see a list of Cooke's endorsements in 2014.
Scorecards
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.
2022
In 2022, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 11.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes.
- Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health."
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues.
- Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government."
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBTQ+ issues.
- 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]. |
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In 2021, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 8.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 15.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 4 through May 3.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the 72nd Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 9.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 71st Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 10. There was also a special session from October 2-3.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the second session of the 70th Colorado General Assembly was in session from January 13 through May 11.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the first session of the 70th Colorado General Assembly was in session from January 7 through May 6.
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See also
- Colorado General Assembly
- Colorado State Senate
- Colorado Senate Committees
- Colorado state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Colorado Senate Republicans, "Majority Whip John Cooke," accessed June 26, 2017
- ↑ cookeforcoloradosd13.com, "John On The Issues," accessed September 30, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 25, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 5, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Colorado State Senate District 13 2015-2023 |
Succeeded by Kevin Priola (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Weld County Sheriff 2002-2014 |
Succeeded by - |
