This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at .
Republican state senators have selected to replace former Sen. Paul Lundeen as their new Minority Leader. Lundeen resigned his office earlier this week .
Simpson was the only person nominated for the position and his selection didn鈥檛 come as a surprise; he鈥檇 previously served as the Assistant Minority Leader. The caucus chose Sen. Lisa Frizell of Douglas County to pick up that role.
In a virtual meeting with his colleagues Thursday evening, Simpson said he wants to ensure the caucus is functional and effective and will make a difference for all Coloradans and focus on GOP priorities.
He said that means working to make Colorado 鈥渁n affordable place to live again [with] safe communities and a thriving business community.鈥� He said the state deserves a strong voice from a conservative perspective.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to it,鈥� he said of leading the caucus. 鈥淚 look forward to just continuing what we鈥檝e been working on. The challenges are pretty immense and steep.鈥�
GOP Sen. Barbara Kirkemeyer, who sits on the powerful joint budget committee, nominated Simpson for the leadership role and said she thinks he鈥檒l be a great leader for the 12-member caucus.
鈥淲e have worked very congenially and worked as a team. It鈥檚 a team effort in the Senate Republican caucus. And I don鈥檛 see that changing,鈥� she said in a recent interview.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been prepping for this moment for a while. He鈥檚 honest, he鈥檚 thoughtful, he鈥檚 fair.鈥�
Simpson, like his predecessor, has a strong working relationship with Democratic Sen. President James Coleman. In an earlier interview with CPR News, Coleman referred to Simpson as one of his best friends; Simpson recently hosted Coleman鈥檚 family for a visit at his home in Alamosa.
鈥淲e stayed with him for a whole week and really got to understand his district and why he ran for office and what issues mattered most to him in the district he represents,鈥� Coleman said. He described Simpson as level-headed, very professional, with good communication skills and a lot of patience.
鈥淎 lot of wisdom. He takes his time,鈥� said Coleman.
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