10/23/2026
I’m heartbroken by the loss of my friend Matt Solomon.
Matt and I faced off in the 2022 State Senate race, one of the most competitive elections in Colorado that year. It was an intense campaign, with more than $3 million spent for and against us and some sharp exchanges along the way.
But a few months after the election, Matt reached out and asked me to grab a drink. That conversation was the beginning of a genuine friendship. We talked often, and I think there’s a unique bond between two people who have gone through an experience like that together, even though he was a Republican and I’m a Democrat — one that’s hard to understand unless you’ve been there yourself.
In the years that followed, we worked together on legislation to benefit Northwest Colorado, he visited me at the Capitol, and we stayed in regular touch. I last saw Matt at the Club 20 debates in September, where we had a great conversation. He joked about whether I wished he were back on stage debating me like he had four years earlier. Just four days before he passed, he sent me a genuinely kind text about the upcoming election.
Matt cared deeply about his community and Western Colorado. He was a first responder, a small business owner, and a public servant who genuinely wanted to make life better for the people around him.
I’m grateful that what began as a tough political contest turned into a friendship I’ll always value. Matt’s passing is a tremendous loss for our region, and my heart is with his family, friends, and everyone who loved him. He will be deeply missed.
