Dianne Primavera

Dianne I. Primavera (born January 28, 1950) is an American politician who has been the 50th lieutenant governor of Colorado since 2019.

Born in Denver, Colorado, Primavera earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Regis University in 1972 and a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975.

She began her career as a case manager for the Weld County Community Center Board.

She later was employed as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Colorado Department of Social Services, and rose to become a supervisor in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

In 1990, Primavera joined the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury Center as Education & Training Coordinator.

In 1994, she was hired as a customer service manager for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, a job she held until 2001.

She joined the Colorado Department of Revenue in 2001, working as a director first in the Titles and Registration division, and then in Emissions and Constituent Relations from 2003 through 2004.

Primavera was the conference director for the White House Conference on Aging, working with the Division of Aging and Adult Services in the Colorado Department of Human Services.

She was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to the Independent Living Council, and has been a member of State Workers Advocating for the Youth and the Medicaid Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities.

At the time of her election to the state legislature, she was program director for Learning Services Corp. Primavera has also operated a small dog-grooming business since her teenage years.

After being elected secretary of the Boulder County Democratic Party in 2003, Primavera campaigned for the state legislature against Republican Bill Berens in 2004, losing with 47% of the popular vote.

2004

A vocational counselor and government manager, Primavera was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006, after an unsuccessful campaign in 2004.

She represented House District 33, centered around Broomfield, Colorado.

In the legislature, Primavera focused heavily on health care issues.

She was elected to represent House District 33 in 2006 and 2008 and again in 2012 and 2014.

2006

She challenged Berens in 2006.

Primavera received roughly $60,000 in campaign donations, outraising Berens by about two to one.

Playing off her name, one of her fundraisers was titled "Pasta and Primavera", and she would sometimes distribute her father's pasta primavera recipe along with campaign literature to help voters remember her name.

She prevailed in the general election with just over 51 percent support, winning by slightly less than 1000 votes.

Because of the close margin, the winner of the race was not known until several days after the polls closed.

Primavera won re-election, defeating Kliebenstein by several thousand votes, or 56 percent of ballots cast, a greater margin than her first election win in 2006.

A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the Colorado State Representative for the 33rd district from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2013 to 2017.

Primavera filed to run for a second term in 2007; Republican Nick Kliebenstein announced his bid to seek Primavera's seat in July of that year.

2008

In a district closely balanced between Republicans and Democrats, the race between Primavera and Kliebenstein was targeted by both major parties, although by late summer 2008, Primavera had outraised Kliebenstein by roughly three to one.

Her fundraising advantage continued through October, by which time she had raised over $100,000 to Kliebenstein's $30,000.

During the campaign, Primavera pledged to continue her work in the area of health care reform, while Kliebenstein criticized Primavera for her support of a property tax freeze, and contrasted his support for dedicated highway funding and oil exploration with Primavera's emphasis on mass transit and alternative energy sources.

Primavera's re-election bid was endorsed by The Denver Post the Boulder Daily Camera, the Windsor Beacon, the Broomfield Enterprise, and the Boulder Weekly.

After losing reelection in 2010, Primavera served on the 17th Judicial District's Victim & Witness Assistance and Law Enforcement board as well as on the board of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

She returned to managing a small business she has run since being a teenager.

Rep. Primavera represented House District 33 including Broomfield, Superior and part of Erie.

2010

Primavera's district, which contained more registered Republicans than Democrats, was one of those targeted by Colorado Republicans hoping to make gains during the midterm 2010 legislative elections.

Her Republican opponent, Donald Beezley, narrowly unseated Primavera with 50.4% of the vote after receiving 314 more votes.

After two years out of politics, Primavera was once again elected to the statehouse in the 2012 election.

2012

She was reelected in 2014 and did not seek reelection in 2016.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jared Polis selected Primavera as his running mate, in the 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election.