Bacon, currently the assistant majority leader, defeated state Rep. Andrew Boesenecker (D-Fort Collins) in the caucus vote. She will be the second consecutive woman to hold the speaker's post.

Her rise comes as Democrats enter the new legislative session with a newly expanded supermajority: 49 of the chamber's 65 seats, following a midterm election that decisively favored the party.

Bacon told colleagues that voters sent an unmistakable message at the polls. "You want change. You don't want the status quo, or predetermined outcomes, or heirs apparent," she said. "You want people to meet the moment. You want leaders who stand for what's right and who won't waver."

Bacon represents Denver's Green Valley Ranch and Montbello neighborhoods and is among the caucus's more progressive members. Her reelection bid was endorsed by the Denver Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party.

The Democratic caucus also selected Denver's Javier Mabry, a democratic socialist, to serve as House majority leader, a position that directs the daily calendar and policy agenda.

On the Republican side, state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell of Colorado Springs was reelected minority leader. Just 16 Republicans remain in the chamber after the state's blue tsunami.

"Coloradans deserve more than what they have been given in the policy space," Caldwell said in a statement after his election. "While the House Republican caucus might hold fewer seats than before, our commitment to the Colorado people is greater than ever."

With a supermajority and a progressive leadership team, Bacon will have significant power to shape the party's legislative agenda in the coming session.