(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . New Faces in Congress: Rep. Brittany Pettersen, A New Democratic Force from Colorado [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-13 New Faces in Congress is a diary series meant to highlight our new and diverse members of Congress in the Democratic Party. These 36 House freshmen range from political neophytes to seasoned legislative veterans. The series will run every Sunday morning, bright and early. Last week, the New Faces in Congress series continued with a profile on Rep. Jonathan Jackson from Illinois’ 1st district. If you missed it, feel free to click on this link to read all about him! This member of Congress is the first that I have profiled that was a part of my Majority Savers series last year. Before joining Congress, she was active in the Colorado state legislature for about a decade in various roles. She got bitten by the political bug early in her life, and has served diligently ever since! She tried to run for the seat in 2018, but the incumbent aborted his run for higher office. In 2022, Rep. Ed Perlmutter finally decided to hang it up for real, and she claimed this seat in the primary without opposition. Many thought that she would be in for a competitive race in the fall, but she torched her opponent with over 56% of the vote. Today, the spotlight is on Rep. Brittany Pettersen! Want to help the freshmen members of Congress like Brittany Pettersen? Please donate to the New Faces in Congress Fund on ActBlue! Rep. Brittany Pettersen (Colorado-7) Donate | House Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Biography The first stop to get to know Rep. Brittany Pettersen is to she what she has to say for herself. This is her upbringing, according to her campaign website. I was born in Colorado and have lived in Jefferson County nearly my entire life. I came from a working-class family — my dad was a construction contractor and my mom was a hairdresser. We were a regular middle-class family, but all of that changed when my mom injured her back when I was just 6 years old. Like far too many Americans, she was prescribed a dangerous amount of opioids – leading to an addiction to prescription pills, alcohol, and, ultimately, heroin. Even though I faced significant challenges at home, I was one of the lucky ones. I had access to great public schools and teachers that believed in me. Because of the investments this community made in me, I was given a chance to earn a good life. I became the first in my family to graduate from both high school and college, and I went on to serve in the Colorado legislature for 10 years — fighting for families like mine. She sat down for an interview with CPR News shortly before getting elected to Congress. During the interview, she went into more detail about her upbringing. But sitting outside a coffee shop in her hometown of Lakewood in late August, Pettersen said she never expected to run for office. She said it was “highly unlikely” for someone with her upbringing — or so she thought. “I'm a regular person. I grew up in a family that struggled. I was a high-risk youth,” she said. That risk came from her mother, who became addicted to opioids when Pettersen was a child. “That's when our childhood went from being a normal middle-class family to a completely different one of struggling,” she said. “She turned to using heroin. You can imagine what our lives were like as kids, with a mom who struggled with a very severe disease. Addiction is a disease.” Pettersen said she and her brothers got support from the community around them in Jefferson County. “It was because [of] my access to great schools and teachers that believed in me that I was able to overcome those barriers and become the first of my family to graduate from high school and college,” she said. “My brothers and I faced a lot of obstacles, but we were given a shot. We were so lucky to grow up in this community, in a place where the community investments that were made gave us the opportunity to build a better life.” That’s also why she got involved in politics. “I thought about how many people like me gave up their power by not voting. So, I started getting involved, registering voters, volunteering on campaigns.” Wikipedia goes into more of her legislative background. Of note is that she was subject to a failed recall vote in 2019 due to supporting progressive legislation. She also worked to increase youth turnout before ever joining the legislative body of Colorado. Before running for state representative, Pettersen worked for New Era Colorado, a nonprofit progressive political advocacy group that works to increase youth participation in politics and the government process.[3][4] [ edit ] 2013 legislative session In 2013, Pettersen opposed a repeal of the death penalty in Colorado.[5] 2019 recall effort [ edit ] In July 2019, the Colorado secretary of state approved the circulation of a recall petition against Pettersen. The recall's organizers had until September 16, 2019, to gather 18,376 signatures to put the recall on the ballot, but on September 10 they announced that they were abandoning the effort and not submitting signatures.[6][7] The recall petition stated that Pettersen should be recalled because she supports taxpayer-funded heroin-injection sites, and because she supported SB 19-042 (the National Popular Vote bill), SB 19-181 (Comprehensive Oil and Gas Reform), HB 19-1032 (Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education), and HB 19-1177 (the Red Flag bill that allows a judge to prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm). It appears that CSPAN hasn’t interviewed with Rep. Brittany Pettersen as of yet, so her biography remains a little unfilled for my liking. However, from what I can tell she will be a powerful work horse legislator based on her experiences in Colorado. Notable Media Headlines I was pleasantly surprised by the number of bills and headlines Rep. Brittany Pettersen has made in Congress. I thought this section would be difficult to write, but her Twitter feed was a veritable gold mine of juicy nuggets and headlines she has made. Her first exposure came when she joined a climate discussion with MVP Harris in Colorado. Here is the full discussion below: x Tune in as I speak with @sashadigiulian and @RepPettersen about the work ahead to tackle the climate crisis and build a clean energy economy. https://t.co/v6HiQ5XSfy — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 7, 2023 She then made headlines in the financial world when she and two of her colleagues took a stand against the national sales tax and the abolishment of the IRS proposed by the GOP. CNBC has more. Three Democrats in the U.S. House introduced a measure to push back against a controversial Republican tax proposal that would abolish the IRS, eliminate income taxes and impose a national sales tax. House Republicans introduced the Fair Tax Act in January shortly after Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, was voted in as speaker. The legislation proposes to overhaul the U.S. tax system by eliminating the income tax in favor of a 23% to 30% tax on gross payments for taxable property. Democratic Reps. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina, Eric Sorensen of Illinois and Brittany Pettersen of Colorado called the measure “extremist.” “I was dismayed to hear about an extremist plan by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that calls for a 30% national sales tax for working families,” Nickel said at a press conference Wednesday. “A 30% sales tax would be a disaster for working families and individuals in North Carolina and around the country who are already dealing with high gas prices, exorbitant housing costs and the rising costs of goods and everyday services.” The three Democrats introduced a House resolution opposing a national sales tax on working families and, instead, supporting a tax cut to benefit middle-class families. Their efforts build off the work of Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Nickel said. Her first bill targeting fentanyl got glowing press back in Colorado. As you will see, this is an intensely personal issue for her. Again, CPR has the coverage! x Her most passionate speech also comes from her fighting against fentanyl addiction. Her mother has been battling against opioid addiction for decades now, and she used that pain to make an effective speech picked up by Forbes. Between local coverage in Denver and a budding national profile, Rep. Brittany Pettersen seems to have opportunities that many new members of Congress only dream of. Hopefully she can leverage these opportunities into political bills being passed. Bills and Legislative Priorities After the 100 day mark, Rep. Brittany Pettersen released this video touting her accomplishments. It is a good primer to see her legislative priorities and also a reminder that constituent service is a HUGE part of the job that often gets forgotten in the middle of all of those bitter political scraps. x Today marks 100 days since I've been serving as your Congresswoman for the 7th Congressional District. I'm so proud of all we've accomplished so far and the good news is — we're just getting started! #CO07 Watch our video to see how I'm helping you ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1YY85u9T8G — U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (@RepPettersen) April 17, 2023 In terms of committees, Pettersen was placed on the Financial Services Committee. That committee rarely makes the news, but it suddenly became important when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in the spring. Here are some pointed remarks and questions she raised at the time. x Previously, a bank run would take days. With Silicon Valley Bank, it happened in a matter of hours. In @FSCdems I asked the FDIC chairman what can be done to respond quickly to panic in the future. We need to ensure banking regulators can function in this technological age. pic.twitter.com/LRreQ8wP5A — U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (@RepPettersen) March 30, 2023 You may have noticed that opioids and fentanyl in particular has been a theme in this diary. Unlike many freshman legislators, Pettersen has had a successful bill passed through a hostile Congress! It passed with over 400 votes with only a couple votes in opposition! She also is trying to get naloxone in as many places as possible with a different bill. x x Pettersen reluctantly voted YES on the Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal. She was frustrated with the process, but also determined to avoid a collapse of the world economy. x Rep. Brittany Pettersen had some thoughts on the Extreme Court, but really didn’t emphasize or deeply comment on any of the decisions. x Pettersen is a member of the New Democratic Coalition, which tends to contain members in the rightward half of the Democratic caucus. Indeed, she is more moderate than 72% of her fellow Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives. Her voting profile is typical of the districts we need to keep in our column to have a majority in the House. Pettersen has around 2.7k followers on Twitter, which is decent for a freshman legislator. Go ahead and follow her to show her some support for all of the hard work she has accomplished! Rep. Brittany Pettersen came to Washington, DC to solve problems, not to make headlines. That means working with the majority GOP to pass bills in which there is common ground. That is a shrinking number of issues where common ground can be found, but the fact that she has passed a bill through Congress proves that it isn’t dead yet. In spite of the fact that she didn’t come to make headlines, the media seems to have noticed her abilities and have written about her much more frequently than expected. Whether it is her activism against opioids or her push to represent her district, Rep. Brittany Pettersen will continue to get noticed and make waves in Congress. Pettersen could be in Congress for a long time, though I have a suspicion that she will be a governor of Colorado or senator from that state eventually. She has already made an impact, and her clout will only grow with more experience. While being in the minority is no fun, she is making the most of her opportunity and getting things done. She will remain a political force in Colorado for the duration of her career! Next Sunday, I will profile Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky’s 3rd district. See you then! Rep. Brittany Pettersen (Colorado-7) Donate | House Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Please help our Democratic freshmen in the 118th Congress raise more funds with the New Faces in Congress Fund. Until election day in 2024, we plan to regularly add new names to our list of recipients. Please share a link to this site on your social media! 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