Aly DeWills-Marcano
For Colorado House District 41
I am championing a fair, accessible Colorado—tackling the housing crisis, healthcare, and systemic inequalities head-on. Join my campaign for House District 41 and be part of the movement to create a just and inclusive community.
From grassroots organizing to public service leadership, I’ve dedicated my career to tackling the challenges our community faces—from housing instability and healthcare accessibility to advocating for disability rights and government transparency. With firsthand experience in overcoming adversity and a proven track record of service, I'm ready to represent House District 41 as your progressive voice. Let’s fight together for a fair, inclusive, and vibrant Colorado.
Let’s build a stronger Colorado together. I'm committed to tackling the housing crisis, expanding healthcare access, resisting harmful agendas in Aurora, and enhancing accessibility for all.
With data-driven solutions and a heart for justice, I will fight for a Colorado that is inclusive and equitable. Join our movement to create real change across our state.
Ready to make a difference? Get involved with our campaign and help us drive change in Colorado! Whether you want to volunteer or schedule a one-on-one discussion with me, your support is crucial.
Join us in fighting for a fair, inclusive future for everyone in our district.
After years of grassroots organizing, local leadership, and direct service to our community, I’m stepping up as your progressive candidate to represent our district at the state level for the vacancy in House District 41.
I’m running because I know what’s at stake. Growing up across the Denver and Aurora metro area, I experienced homelessness, eviction, and housing instability firsthand. My family lived in our car, shelters, and substandard housing while trying to find stability. That experience shaped my lifelong commitment to housing justice and informs my work today as the director of a hotline connecting people facing eviction and foreclosure with the legal and financial resources they need to stay housed.
I also live with a cycling autoimmune condition that sometimes requires me to use a wheelchair and other assistance devices. Every day, I see the cracks in our systems and infrastructure that make life unnecessarily harder for people with disabilities—and I know how to fix them. Accessible systems aren’t just for some; they’re for everyone, and I’ll make sure that philosophy drives every policy I pursue.
In my career, I’ve served as a leader in public service: managing constituent services and policy work in the congressional office of Jason Crow, helping families and veterans access resources, and working closely with my partner during his tenure on City Council to address homelessness, accessibility, and government transparency. I’ve also supported local candidates, served in several party roles (from House Chair to President of Arapahoe Young Democrats), and led advocacy efforts on transportation accessibility and citizen engagement.
But most of all, I love this district. From our vibrant immigrant and refugee communities to the thriving food and art culture, this is a place of resilience, creativity, and diversity. Our district is facing threats to our community and our rights from the White House and from Aurora City Hall, but together, we can fight to keep Colorado and Aurora safe for everyone—especially working-class families who’ve called it home for generations.
As a straight-talking, no-nonsense leader, I’ll bring the same radical candor I use to coach my team: tackling tough conversations head-on, focusing on the mission, and always prioritizing the people I serve. I’m ready to fight for our community, and I hope you’ll join me in this work
As a person who experienced homelessness and housing instability growing up, I know firsthand that a safe, affordable home is the first key step to finding stability.
It’s no secret that Colorado, and the country, is in the midst of a serious housing crisis. Half of Colorado households are cost-burdened, paying the largest portion of their income on housing. Rents are rising and homeownership is increasingly out of reach.
Whether you rent or own your home, basic housing should not be treated as a privilege for some: it’s necessary for everyone. As your next House District 41 representative, I will pursue data-driven, compassionate solutions – with proven effectiveness – to help everyone in Colorado become and stay housed.
- Support permanent supportive housing, which combines affordable homes and comprehensive support services (like health services, trauma support, job training and financial assistance), to reduce homelessness
- Create easier pathways to stable housing solutions - like opportunities for mobile home owners to purchase the land they live on
- Hold neglectful landlords accountable, and protect renters from abuse and retaliation
- Incentivize mixed-income, affordable developments with support for first-time homebuyers
- Lift restrictions that prevent municipalities from enacting rent stabilization, providing another tool to address skyrocketing rents
- Ensure transparent eviction and foreclosure processes and access to legal representation for renters and homeowners
- Enact licensing requirements on short-term rentals to protect housing availability
Having a chronic health condition is exhausting, painful, and disabling. I know too well what it is like to refuse a necessary treatment because it is too costly, or to choose less-effective medications to make rent. Too many people in Colorado face this same horrible decision when they or someone they love is sick or injured: the justified concern that seeking basic healthcare might lead to financial devastation.
Everyone should have the right to high quality healthcare, and no one who is injured or sick should ever feel more concerned about financial ruin over their life and safety. No one should be denied or discouraged from treatment and care because of high deductibles, unaffordable prescriptions, and outrageous pricing.
- Work towards creating a statewide public option to expand access to healthcare
- Protect Affordable Care Act provisions under threat from Trump's agenda, including coverage for pre-existing conditions and preventative care.
- Require insurance to cover substance use treatment, mental health care, reproductive healthcare
- Cap prescription drug prices and eliminate profiteering price hikes
Aurora is at a crossroads. News about a neglectful property management company in our district has been decontextualized and exaggerated, and the suffering of their tenants has been exploited in order to fit national Republicans’ anti-immigrant agenda. And now, in return, our City Council is enacting policies straight from the desk of Donald Trump.
We need a legislator who is committed to fighting back, and who will stand together with constituents to resist the harmful, divisive policies in Trump’s agenda. The Colorado government has to stand strong for justice, compassion, civil rights, and protecting our neighbors.
- Defend our migrant communities by opposing “Operation Aurora” and blocking municipal police from assisting in ICE raids.
- Codify reproductive rights, including abortion and birth control access, in state law
- Strengthen LGBTQ+ protections in Colorado, including protection from discrimination in healthcare
- Enshrine racial equity and access to education, employment, and economic justice for all Coloradans
- Strengthen workers’ rights to organize by repealing the misleadingly named “Labor Peace Act” and replacing it with an affirmative right to unionize and protections for workers exercising that right
- Establish legal protections that prevent political interference in the operations of a public defender’s office
- Prohibit jurisdictions from imposing mandatory minimum sentences and saddling counties with unfunded mandates
- Align municipal elections with state and federal election cycles to increase voter participation
- Require transparency in local elections, including disclosure of political affiliations
Pushing through inaccessible systems and infrastructure every day has made me resilient. For a wheelchair user, broken elevators and decaying curbs are just the tip of an all-too familiar iceberg. So much more still needs to be done to build an accessible Colorado.
But accessibility isn’t just for those of us with disabilities, it benefits everyone. Whether it’s ramps, clear signage, or more accessible digital platforms, the research is clear: inclusive design uplifts entire communities, bringing people closer together and improving quality of life.
I will work to ensure that all Coloradans, regardless of ability, have equitable access to housing, transportation, public spaces, education, and employment.
- Expand funding for accessible infrastructure, including ramps, elevators, paving, and accessible signage.
- Support a robust and accessible public transportation system; require RTD to improve accessible bus stops and light rail access
- Enact stronger employment protections to combat discriminations and educate both business owners and employees on disability accommodation requirements
- Improve accessibility in airports and travel companies by setting standards of care for mobility devices in transit, require accessible and equitable seating and pricing
I know firsthand how transformative a quality education can be and how devastating it is when that opportunity is out of reach. During my childhood, school wasn’t just a place to learn; it was often the most stable part of my life. But I also saw how inequities in funding, resources, and support left many of my peers behind.
Today, too many Colorado students face similar challenges: underfunded schools, overworked teachers, and systemic barriers that deny students the quality education they deserve. I’m committed to ensuring that every child in Colorado, no matter their background or circumstances, has access to a fully funded and equitable public education system.
- Protect funding for public schools by opposing programs that take taxpayer money away to fund private or charter schools.
- Support professional salaries for teachers so they can thrive inside and outside the classroom.
- Reduce high-stakes testing by working with teachers to review and cut unnecessary tests.
- Increase funding for special education programs and hire more special education teachers.
- Support new teachers by expanding apprenticeship and mentorship programs to help them succeed and stay in the job.
- Update state education standards to include the voices and contributions of diverse communities in history, literature, social studies, and the arts.
- Defend inclusive teaching by opposing efforts to ban accurate history or books that reflect diverse cultures.
- Provide adaptive technology and assistive devices in classrooms to help students with disabilities.
- Fix and modernize school buildings so they are safe, healthy, and accessible for everyone.
Endorsements
Aly has been protecting & securing opportunities & basic rights of her community for over 10 years as an activist, team leader, and direct service provider. She'll make sure we create an economy that works for ALL of us and protect our basic rights and freedoms.
Aly has always had a knack for finding the perfect people to give her the best information possible, which is perfect for a State Representative. You can’t possibly know everything, so finding those who do is paramount. Aly has also amassed a lot more knowledge than she lets on. She has often surprised me how much she knows about topics that I specialize in as someone who deals with economics, budgets, taxes, etc. on a daily basis. I also know, with 100% certainty, Aly will always be on the side of everyday people with every vote. She knows what it is struggle and what it means to work your way to something better. She also knows how much a helping hand would have meant or did mean when one came along. Aly will simply be the best person to represent HD 41 how they deserve to be represented.
As a Former Chair of the Arapahoe County Democratic Party, I know how long Aly has been involved and how many people Aly has helped along the way in our District. From organizing events for the Party & candidates, to helping constituents as a constituent services manager in Jason Crow’s office across CD 6, to her current job - helping people facing homelessness, Aly continues to show up and work to build an inclusive and equitable community. She will be a champion for working class people and fight for progressive values. That’s why I am thrilled to endorse Aly for the HD 41 vacancy.
I'm proud to support my wife, best friend, and one of the toughest and smartest people I know to be my next representative. Please join me in supporting Aly for HD41 to ensure we keep our district progressive and ready to resist Trump's sycophants from the federal government and the Aurora City Council.
I'm thankful for Aly as an advocate for our community. She has been tenacious in standing up for what's right. When I have thought to waver in the face of pressure and challenges, she has been a conscience, reminding me not to give in to the expedient but to continue to push for what is right. I know that she will stand up for vulnerable people in the legislature, and fight to make a better Colorado for everyone in our community. I'm pleased to support such an unwavering champion for the HD41 vacancy.
As a lifelong Auroran, public school teacher, union leader, and lifelong Democrat, I’m proud to endorse Aly DeWills-Marcano for Colorado State House District 41. Aly is the most progressive candidate in this race, and I trust her to champion bold policies that uplift public education, working families, and marginalized communities. Just as importantly, I trust her to seek out the right people and perspectives when she doesn’t have all the answers. We need leaders like Aly—empathetic, action-oriented, and deeply committed to building a more equitable Colorado.
I’ve known Aly Dewills-Marcano for over ten years, and in that time, I have grown to respect her intelligence, thoughtfulness and compassion for others. While there are several candidates running for the appointment to represent us in HD 41, I would support Aly as a champion for our concerns without hesitation.
As a long time public school educator and union leader I’m proud to endorse Aly for HD 41. I know that Aly will work to increase funding for public schools and decrease burdensome mandates and testing so students and educators and students can thrive in our schools. She will be a champion for workers because she knows that unions are a critical pillar of economic justice and social equality.
I first met Aly in 2014 at Aurora City Council meetings when a group of progressive Democrats known as the Aurora Residents for Transparency and Transformation (ARTT), which included Aly who was the President of the Board, were testify at every meeting regarding topics that would benefit every resident of Aurora, with an emphasis on the underserved, including documented and undocumented immigrants and those with disabilities.
Aly had to testify from her seat in the back of council chambers because the speaker’s lectern was not accessible by wheelchair. Aly fought for years to have a ramp built to replace a stairway and persevered until she finally accomplished it for the benefit of those who had a walking disability.
I soon learned that Aly was a policy wonk. She has testified at the capitol on housing and land use, prescription drug price caps, and RTD reform which are all things that also impact disabled people more and differently. Several times she has testified alongside the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition.
Aly has worked on campaigns for HD41 and Aurora City Council since 2015 and has been HD42 Chair and HD41 Secretary.
All of this gives her a running start to become our next House District 41 Representative.
Aly and I first met when she was House District Chair and I was Secretary in HD 42. As HD Chair, Aly led with a deep commitment to our shared progressive values and an understanding of how to make the democratic party, democratic processes, and policy accessible to all.
It’s this commitment and Aly’s shown leadership that makes me confident she will be a champion down at the State Legislature. She will be a true public education advocate, a true advocate for the working class & unions, and the true progressive that House District 41 deserves.
