Rick Palacio

Rick Palacio is the Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party. Rick is a 6th generation Coloradan who was born and raised in Pueblo. The son of a steel worker and homemaker, Rick's family's roots are in the southern part the state where both of his grandfathers were coal miners.

Before serving in his current role, Palacio worked in a variety of roles in Colorado and national politics. He was the Assistant to Colorado House Majority Leader Alice Madden. He served as the Regional Director of the Colorado Democratic Party’s Coordinate Campaign. In 2006 he sought the Democratic nomination for Clerk and Recorder in Pueblo, Colorado where he earned 49.9% of the Democratic vote - only two votes shy of becoming the party's nominee for the general election. Palacio then held multiple roles with U.S. Rep. John Salazar of Colorado's third Congressional District, including Legislative Assistant and later Deputy Communications Director. In 2008 he was hired as Deputy Director of Member Service in the office of the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, the second highest-ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Palacio was elected Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party on March 5, 2011. Palacio is the first Latino in Colorado's history to hold the office of chair of a major political party, and when elected was only the second in the nation.