Iman Jodeh is a Democratic State Senator representing Senate District 29 in Arapahoe County, Colorado, covering Aurora. A first-generation American born in Denver to Palestinian immigrant parents who arrived as refugees in 1974, she made history as the first Muslim, first Arab-American, and first Palestinian-American elected to the Colorado Legislature after winning election to House District 41 in 2020. Fluent in Arabic with a second home in Ramallah, Palestine, she prioritizes healthcare, immigration, and housing, serving on the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology and Health and Human Services Committees. Notable achievements include passing the Colorado Option , establishing the Office of New Americans, medical debt forgiveness programs, and extending eviction notices from 48 hours to 10 days.

Education and Political Experience

Jodeh earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver, where she found empowerment in its diverse environment. Before politics, she founded and directed the nonprofit Meet the Middle East to foster understanding of the Middle East, lectured at the University of Denver, served as the first female spokesperson for the Colorado Muslim Society , and acted as Community Advocate and Liaison for the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado. She is a board member of Ready to Work Aurora and the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado/Wyoming. Prior to the Senate, she spent six years advocating at the state capitol for progressive policies, testified on behalf of marginalized communities, and received endorsements from figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris during her 2020 House campaign, which she won by 33 points despite attacks on her faith.