(Colorado Newsline) A Democratic vacancy committee selected former Thornton City Council member Julia Marvin to represent Colorado House District 31 on Thursday night.

Every seat in the Legislature is now filled, and the Democrats are back to a 46-19 majority as the second week of this year’s legislative session ends.

Marvin was picked on a 9-7 vote over Jacque Phillips.

“I’m proud of the progress that we’ve made in Thornton and I’m enthusiastic about bringing my commitment to public service to the statehouse. My vision for House District 31 is grounded in inclusivity, affordability and opportunity for all, and I believe in a Colorado where every person has access to quality education, affordable healthcare and housing,” Marvin said in a candidate forum ahead of the vacancy committee vote.

She said the biggest concern in her district is cost of living. The housing stock needs to increase in tandem with policies like rental assistance and tenant protections, she said.

“Coming from the city council and local government, I can bring that perspective to the state Capitol about the importance of engaging those stakeholders early on in the process and working to figure out some solutions that are comprehensive enough that work for the whole state … but have enough variability that different cities can address their own unique challenges,” she said.

She plans to run in November for a full term in the seat.

Marvin represented Ward 2 on Thornton City Council for four years and vacated that seat to run for mayor last year. She lost to incumbent Jan Kulmann.

The legislative seat became available when former Rep. Said Sharbini resigned in December, citing financial pressures and a difficult work environment in the House.

He was a freshman lawmaker elected in 2022, winning with over 58 percent of the vote.

When a lawmaker leaves their seat in the middle of a term, a vacancy committee made of members of the former lawmaker’s political party in the district pick a replacement, versus a special election.

District 31 generally includes all of Thornton and is a strong Democratic seat.

Marvin is the 29th member of the current Legislature initially chosen by a vacancy committee.

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