Joe Neguse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Neguse
Official portrait, 2018
House Assistant Democratic Leader
Incumbent
Assumed office March 20, 2024
Leader	Hakeem Jeffries
Preceded by	Jim Clyburn
Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office January 3, 2021 – March 20, 2024
Leader	Nancy Pelosi Hakeem Jeffries
Preceded by	David Cicilline
Succeeded by	Debbie Dingell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Jared Polis
Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
In office June 2015 – June 2017
Governor	John Hickenlooper
Preceded by	Barbara Kelley
Succeeded by	Marguerite Salazar
Personal details
Born	(1984-05-13) May 13, 1984 (age 41) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Andrea Jimenez
Children	2
Education	University of Colorado, Boulder (BA, JD)
Website

Joseph D. "Joe" Neguse (born May 13, 1984) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Colorado's 2nd congressional district since 2019. His district includes cities like Boulder and Fort Collins.

Neguse is a member of the Democratic Party. He made history as the first Eritrean-American and the first Black person from Colorado to be elected to the United States Congress. His parents moved to the United States from the country of Eritrea in Africa. In 2024, he became the House Assistant Democratic Leader, a top leadership role.

Early life and school

Joe Neguse's parents came to the United States from Eritrea, a country in East Africa. They met and married in Bakersfield, California, where Joe and his younger sister were born. When Joe was six, his family moved to Colorado. They lived in several cities before settling in Boulder.

Neguse graduated from ThunderRidge High School. He went to the University of Colorado Boulder for college. There, he was the student body president and earned degrees in political science and economics in 2005. He later graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 2009.

Early career in politics

As a college student, Neguse started an organization called New Era Colorado. Its goal was to get young people interested and involved in politics. He also worked as an assistant at the Colorado State Capitol.

In 2008, he was elected to the Board of Regents for the University of Colorado. This board helps manage the university system. He was only the second African American to ever serve on this board.

In 2015, Colorado's governor John Hickenlooper appointed Neguse to a big job. He became the head of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). This department helps protect people by overseeing industries like banking and insurance.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 2017, Neguse decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The person holding the seat, Jared Polis, was running for governor of Colorado instead.

Elections

2018 election

Neguse first had to win the Democratic Party's primary election. He won easily with over 65% of the vote.

In the main election in November 2018, he defeated the Republican candidate, Peter Yu. Neguse won with about 60% of the vote. This victory made him the first Black person to represent Colorado in Congress.

Later elections

Neguse was reelected in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Each time, he won with a large majority of the votes in his district.

Work in Congress

Neguse with President Joe Biden and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2022.

Soon after he was first elected, his fellow new members of Congress chose him for a leadership role.

In 2021, Neguse was chosen to be a House impeachment manager for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. This meant he acted like a prosecutor, presenting the case in the Senate. At the time, he was the youngest impeachment manager in American history.

Neguse has held several leadership positions within the Democratic Party in the House. In March 2024, he was elected House Assistant Democratic Leader, which is one of the highest-ranking jobs in his party's leadership.

Committees and caucuses

In Congress, members work in small groups called committees to focus on specific topics. For the 118th Congress, Neguse serves on these committees:

• Committee on Natural Resources
• Committee on Rules
• Committee on the Judiciary

He is also a member of many groups called caucuses, where members with shared interests work together. Some of the caucuses he belongs to are:

• Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus

What Neguse believes in

Neguse at a press conference in May 2023. He supports a ban on members of Congress trading stocks.

As a politician, Joe Neguse has taken clear positions on many important topics.

Social issues

Neguse supports laws that protect the rights of all people. He wants to make it easier for people to vote. For example, he introduced a law to let 16 and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote. He also supports new laws to help prevent gun violence.

Climate change

Neguse believes that climate change is a very serious problem. He supports big ideas like the Green New Deal to fight it. He has also worked on laws to protect forests from wildfires and to protect endangered animals.

Healthcare and the economy

Neguse supports Medicare for All, a plan for the government to provide health insurance to everyone. He is against getting rid of the Affordable Care Act. He also believes the government should spend less money on the military.

Other issues

As the son of immigrants, Neguse supports creating a path for undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens. He also supports a ban that would stop members of Congress from buying and selling stocks while in office.

Personal life

Neguse is married to Andrea Jimenez Rael. They live in Lafayette, Colorado, with their daughter, who was born in 2018, and their son, who was born in 2023.

Electoral history

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives