Cleave Simpson, Jr. is an American politician from

Alamosa, Colorado Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Col ...

. A Republican, Simpson represents Colorado State Senate District 6, which includes all or parts of Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores,

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from ...

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ...

, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray,

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

, Saguache,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

and San Miguel counties, including the communities of

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated i ...

, Alamosa, Cortez, Monte Vista, and Bayfield. Prior to the implementation of 2020 redistricting in 2023, Simpson represented the former Colorado State Senate District 35, a geographically-large district which encompassed parts of

Pueblo County Pueblo County ( or ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,162. The county seat is Pueblo. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish ...

, and all of Alamosa County, Baca County, Bent County,

Conejos County Conejos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,461. The county seat is the unincorporated community of Conejos. Being 50.7% Hispanic in 2020, Conejos was Colorado's largest ...

, Costilla County, Crowley County, Custer County,

Huerfano County Huerfano County (; ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,820. The county seat is Walsenburg. The county, whose name comes from the Spanish ''huérfano'' meaning "orphan", was named ...

, Kiowa County, Las Animas County, Mineral County, Otero County, Prowers County, Rio Grande County, and Saguache County in southern Colorado.

Background

Simpson is the general manager of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and also served on the Adams State University Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2020. A native of the San Luis Valley, he is a fourth-generation farmer and rancher there. He graduated from the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ene ...

in 1984.

Election

Colorado's 35th Senate district Colorado's 35th Senate district is one of 35 districts in the Colorado Senate. It has been represented by Republican Rod Pelton since 2023. Prior to redistricting the district was represented by Republicans Cleave Simpson and Larry Crowder. ...

: In the 2020 Republican primary election, Simpson ran unopposed. In the

2020 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

, Simpson defeated his

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 ...

opponent, winning 60.12% of the vote.

References

External links

Campaign website

Legislative website
Republican Party Colorado state senators 21st-century American politicians Living people People from Alamosa, Colorado Colorado School of Mines alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{Colorado-politician-stub