The congressman from the 7th District is Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat first elected in 2006. He grew up in Jefferson County, walking precincts with his father on Democratic campaigns. He attended the University of Colorado and earned a law degree in 1978, and then went into private practice. In 1994, Perlmutter won election to the state Senate from a northern Jefferson County district that had not elected a Democrat in nearly 30 years. In the legislature, where he gained a reputation as a mediator, he chaired the renewable energy caucus and worked on legislation protecting consumer rights and promoting responsible growth. He won a second term in 1998 and served two years as Senate president pro tem, then retired in 2002 when term limits forced him from office. Perlmutter was considered the early front-runner for the newly created 7th District, but he opted not to run in 2002, citing the time it would take him away from his three daughters. The new district elected Republican Bob Beauprez by just 121 votes. When Beauprez ran for governor in 2006, Democrats immediately touted it as one of their top pickup opportunities. This time, Perlmutter got into the race. Read More

The congressman from the 7th District is Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat first elected in 2006. He grew up in Jefferson County, walking precincts with his father on Democratic campaigns. He attended the University of Colorado and earned a law degree in 1978, and then went into private practice. In 1994, Perlmutter won election to the state Senate from a northern Jefferson County district that had not elected a Democrat in nearly 30 years. In the legislature, where he gained a reputation as a mediator, he chaired the renewable energy caucus and worked on legislation protecting consumer rights and promoting responsible growth. He won a second term in 1998 and served two years as Senate president pro tem, then retired in 2002 when term limits forced him from office. Perlmutter was considered the early front-runner for the newly created 7th District, but he opted not to run in 2002, citing the time it would take him away from his three daughters. The new district elected Republican Bob Beauprez by just 121 votes. When Beauprez ran for governor in 2006, Democrats immediately touted it as one of their top pickup opportunities. This time, Perlmutter got into the race.

His most significant primary opposition came from Peggy Lamm, a former state representative who used to be the sister-in-law of former Democratic Gov. Richard Lamm. Perlmutter campaigned in favor of embryonic stem cell research, and in his first commercial, his oldest daughter talked about how stem cell research might find a cure for her epilepsy. EMILY’s List endorsed Lamm, but she trailed Perlmutter in fundraising. He won the primary by a solid 53%-38%.

In the general election, he faced Republican Rick O’Donnell, a rising star who left his post as executive director of the Colorado Higher Education Department to run. At a time of multiple ethics scandals in Congress, O’Donnell argued that Perlmutter’s marriage to a Denver lobbyist for a D.C.-based lobbying firm would lead to conflicts of interest. The two candidates also debated illegal immigration. Perlmutter supported a guest worker program for immigrants, while O’Donnell opposed it. By October, the two were closely matched in fundraising, each with well over $2 million. However, the strength of Perlmutter’s candidacy, Beauprez’s poor showing in the governor’s race, and President George W. Bush’s unpopularity all worked against O’Donnell. Perlmutter won by 55%-42%. He carried Jefferson County by nearly 15,000 votes, 55%-43%.

In the House, Perlmutter has been a fairly consistent but not automatic Democratic vote. Inspired by his daughter’s struggles with epilepsy, he won passage of a bill creating epilepsy centers for returning combat veterans. In sync with local interests in energy, he sponsored a bill to offer incentives to lenders who create a market for green buildings. He also got a provision in the Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill in 2009 to benefit green banks, drawing criticism from Republicans when it was revealed that he was an investor in one of them. Democratic leaders put him on the influential Rules Committee in the 111th Congress (2009-10).

On the Financial Services Committee, Perlmutter worked with Republicans to add protections for taxpayers to the $700-billion government rescue of the financial markets. He and Frank Lucas, R-Okla., proposed in 2009 to create a council of regulators to monitor risk in the U.S. financial markets. He also worked with Colorado Republican Mike Coffman on legislation to temporarily allow small banks to amortize commercial real estate losses over seven years instead of writing them down all at once. And in 2010, he worked on a proposal to assist the victims of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi investment scheme.

In 2010, Perlmutter mulled a bid for Colorado’s governorship but decided against it. His re-election race that year proved considerably tougher than his 2008 contest. His challenger, Aurora GOP Councilman Ryan Frazier, an African-American Navy veteran, attacked him for contributing to excess government overspending. Perlmutter, meanwhile, accused his opponent’s company, software developer Takara Systems, of outsourcing its consulting services. Frazier got considerable help from national Republicans and outside groups, with the free-market conservative American Future Fund spending more than $500,000 on the race. Things turned nasty when Perlmutter slapped Frazier’s hand away during a debate, something for which the incumbent immediately apologized. But Frazier couldn’t keep pace financially with Perlmutter, who raised more than $2 million. He won with 53% of the vote.