Hodge seeks re-election for Senate District 25

After four years serving as the state senator in District 25, Mary Hodge is not ready to call it quits just yet.

Hodge is the Adams County Democratic Party’s designee for the November ballot for District 25, which covers parts of Thornton, all of Brighton, the Adams County portion of Aurora, Bennett, Watson and Strasburg.

“I am still enjoying what I’m doing,” she said. “I have something to offer as a common-sense, moderate voice of Adams County.”

Hodge said despite having three competitors for the seat in this election, she thinks she has a good chance of being re-elected.

However, she said, “It’s hard to tell what an election will bring.”

She said her good reputation during her first term as state senator, plus the eight years she served as the state representative for House District 30, make her moderately confident of her chances for re-election.

Hodge said if she is successful, she hopes to continue serving on the Joint Budget Committee and working on the state budget.

“It’s important because it’s a job not everybody wants and can do,” she said, adding that it’s important to prioritize spending because there isn’t a lot of money to spend. “I think I can do that.”

One of the pieces of legislation Hodge said she is proudest to have sponsored recently is House Bill 12-1350. The bill allows in-state tuition to children of an active-duty parent even if the child graduated from a non-Colorado high school, as long as that student finished two years at a Colorado high school within five years prior to college enrollment.

“I think it’s a perk that provides some stability and recognition for the military,” she said.

Hodge has an elementary-education degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and taught in Weld County School District 6. She also has background in the trucking industry with Yellow Freight Systems and Roadway Express.

Hodge and her husband of 46 years, Richard, live in Brighton. They have three sons and five grandchildren. The couple has lived in Adams County since 1981.