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Gretchen Rydin

From Ballotpedia
Gretchen Rydin
Candidate, Colorado House of Representatives District 38
Colorado House of Representatives District 38
Tenure
2025 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
1
Predecessor:David Ortiz (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$47,561/year for legislators whose terms began in 2025. $43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023.
Per diem
For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $238/day.
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
June 30, 2026
Education
Bachelor's
Brigham Young University, 2006
Graduate
Howard University, 2018
Personal
Religion
Not religious
Profession
Therapist
Contact

Gretchen Rydin (Democratic Party) is a member of theColorado House of Representatives, representingDistrict 38. She assumed office on January 8, 2025. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Rydin (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to theColorado House of Representatives to representDistrict 38. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled onJune 30, 2026.[source]

Biography

Gretchen Rydin earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 2006 and a graduate degree from Howard University in 2018. Her career experience includes working as a therapist and social worker.[1]

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 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.

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Rydin was assigned to the following committees:


Elections

2026

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 30, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 38

IncumbentGretchen Rydin is running in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 38 on June 30, 2026.

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 38

Gretchen Rydin defeatedJeffrey Patty in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 38 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gretchen Rydin
Gretchen Rydin (D) Candidate Connection
 
54.6
 
29,577
Image of Jeffrey Patty
Jeffrey Patty (R) Candidate Connection
 
45.4
 
24,623

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 54,200
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 38

Gretchen Rydin advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 38 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gretchen Rydin
Gretchen Rydin Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
8,051

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,051
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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 38

Jeffrey Patty advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 38 on June 25, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jeffrey Patty
Jeffrey Patty Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
5,576

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,576
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rydin in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Gretchen Rydin has not yet completedBallotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.Send a message to Gretchen Rydin asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Gretchen Rydin,click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Gretchen Rydin to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing gretchenforcolorado@gmail.com.

Twitter
Email

2024

Candidate Connection

Gretchen Rydin completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rydin's responses.

Expand all |Collapse all

I am a member of Littleton City Council, a therapist, social worker, musician, and advocate for mental health. I was elected to Littleton City Council as an at-large candidate in November 2021, and then subsequently chosen as Mayor Pro Tem by my peers. On City Council I restored funding to the Littleton Immigrant Resource Center, helped pass an inclusive housing ordinance, and secured funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion training in Littleton. I have worked hard to tackle the complexities of land use policy, environmental issues, and economic development all while carefully managing the taxpayers’ dollars.

In addition, I have spent nearly 15 years in human rights advocacy and community service and will bring that experience to the State House in order to tackle the complex issues facing not only HD 38, but Colorado. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC). I earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in social work from Howard University. I am a therapist specializing in trauma and addiction, counseling individuals, couples, and groups.

I am a servant leader and try to give back to my community as often as possible through the arts and volunteering at schools that offer classical music programs.
  • As a mental health professional, I am advocate for access to mental health services including treatment for addiction and substance abuse prevention.
  • I would like to increase support and grant funding for small businesses.
  • I believe in housing equity through creating pathways to homeownership for working families as well as prioritizing support and protections for renters.
Affordable housing, mental health and expanding the arts in education.
Being a good listener, playing an active role in the community through volunteering and advocacy, and leading with integrity.
I am a hardworking, experienced elected leader, a social worker, an advocate for mental health, and a supporter of the arts. I find joy in engaging with my constituents and showing up for community in times of need and to celebrate successes.
Creating a space for open communication with constituents, developing policies that not only work the district they serve but for all Coloradans, and keeping the people informed of the work that is getting done on their behalf.
Mitigating affordability and growth, e.g. rising housing, healthcare and education costs.
I think it certainly helps but it depends on the person. Someone with business leadership experience or a super volunteer who knows the ins and outs of their district could be just as successful if not more than an experienced politician.
Yes. Creating collegial atmosphere with your peers is essential to getting the support needed to get legislation passed. If not, a lot of time and energy may be wasted trying to resolve conflicts instead of getting work done for the people.
As a mental health professional, counselor, and clinician, I work with people who may be in dangerous situations as a result of domestic violence and abuse and/or who have experience trauma due to substance use. I am impacted on a daily basis from the stories I hear and will use my expertise to implement policies for mental health when I am elected to represent HD 38 in the State House.
Orgs - Colorado Ceasefire, Moms Demand Action, and New Politics. Individuals - Congressman Jason Crow, Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, Arapahoe County Commissioners Jessica Campbell Swanson and Carrie Warren-Gully, Rep. David Ortiz (HD 38 Incumbent), and Monica Duran (House Majority Leader).
Health and Human Services, Business, Labor & Technology, and Transportation, Housing & Local Government
I believe financial transparency and government accountability are equally important and integral in preserving our democracy.

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

Ballotpedia LogoNote: 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 theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Gretchen Rydin campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Colorado House of Representatives District 38Won general$142,473 $130,815
Grand total$142,473 $130,815
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Colorado

Ascorecard 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 toeditor@ballotpedia.org.










See also


External links

Candidate

Colorado House of Representatives District 38

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    • Officeholder

    Colorado House of Representatives District 38

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 31, 2024

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    David Ortiz (D)    		Colorado House of Representatives District 38
    2025-Present    		Succeeded by
    -


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