| The Honorable Ed Perlmutter |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 7th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Beauprez |
| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 20th district |
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| In office January 1995 – January 2003 |
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| Succeeded by | Maryanne Keller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1953 Denver, Colorado |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Henderson |
| Children | Alexis, Abby, Zoe |
| Residence | Golden, Colorado |
| Alma mater | University of Colorado |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Protestant Christian[1][2] |
Edwin George "Ed" Perlmutter (born May 1, 1953) is the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 7th congressional district, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Perlmutter was born in Denver, Colorado. He was raised by a Jewish father and Protestant mother, and describes himself as a Christian.[1][3][4] Perlmutter graduated from Jefferson High School in Edgewater, Colorado and went on to study political science, history and economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating in 1975. He received his Juris Doctor from CU in 1978 where he was twice elected President of his class while working part time as a laborer on construction projects.
Perlmutter was formerly a director of the law firm of Berenbaum Weinshienk, and specialized in business reorganizations and commercial litigation. He served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Colorado Bar Association and served on the Board of Trustees and Judicial Performance Commission for the First Judicial District. He is a Trustee for the Midwest Research Institute (primary operator of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), and a Board Member for the National Jewish Medical & Research Center.
Perlmutter was a Colorado State Senator from 1995 to 2003. He was elected to two four-year terms to represent central Jefferson County as State Senator from 1995 to 2003 — the first Democrat elected in the district in 30 years.
In 2000, he helped lead a team that succeeded in a Democratic takeover of the Colorado State Senate for the first time since John F. Kennedy was president. He has assisted numerous campaigns and most recently was co-chair of the Kerry Campaign in Colorado.
In the Colorado Senate, he served on numerous Colorado State Senate committees including: Water, Finance, Judiciary, Child Welfare, Telecommunication, Transportation, Legal Services, and Oil and Gas. He was Chair of the Public Policy and Planning Committee, Chair of the Bi-Partisan Renewable Energy Caucus, and President Pro Tem of the Senate during the 2001 and 2002 session.
Among the awards he received while in the Senate were the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry award "Business Legislator of the Year", Legal Aid Award for Equal Justice Under the Law, American Institute of Architecture award for "Colorado Legislator of the Year"; DARE Man of the Year; Jeffco Education Association Friend of Education, United Veterans Committee "Legislator of the Year", Colorado Humane Society Distinguished Service Award, The AARP Outstanding Legislative Service Award, and the University of Colorado School of Law "Distinguished Alumnus Award".
An October 2009 report [5] in the Washington Post highlighted freshmen Democratic representatives with no previous opposition to Net neutrality rules who had gone on to oppose such rules after receiving donations from telecommunications carriers opposed to the rules. The report acquired political contribution data from contribution records at the Center for Responsive Politics. Perlmutter was one of the freshmen identified, and the recipient of $7500 in industry contributions according to the records.
Perlmutter won the Democratic nomination for the 7th District by defeating former State Representative Peggy Lamm and college professor Herb Rubenstein, with 53% of the vote in the primary. State education chairman Rick O'Donnell was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Dave Chandler, a Green, was also a candidate.
The seat was held by Republican Bob Beauprez, who was reelected to a second term in 2004 with 55% of the vote, after winning his first term by only 121 votes. He left the seat at the end of the 2005–2007 term, having failed in his bid to become Governor of Colorado. The 7th District is considered highly competitive. It is located in the western and northern Denver suburbs and was narrowly won by John Kerry in 2004.
In late September, O'Donnell was put on the defensive when ads appeared noting that he had previously supported abolishing Social Security. A Survey USA poll soon after that showed Perlmutter with a 54 to 37 percent lead, although GOP consultants guessed that the support was "soft".[6] An October 4 poll released by Zogby showed Perlmutter ahead of O'Donnell by 45-34 percent.[7] Cook Political Report rating: Republican Toss Up. CQPolitics rating: No Clear Favorite.
In the end, Perlmutter (54%) soundly defeated O'Donnell (42%) for the congressional seat, helping Democrats to regain the majority in the U.S. House.
Perlmutter won against Republican nominee John W. Lerew.
Perlmutter defeated Republican nominee Ryan Frazier and Libertarian nominee Buck Bailey on November 2, 2010. The 7th Congressional district had been cited as a GOP target in 2010.[8]
Perlmutter has three children. He and his first wife, Deanna, divorced in 2008. In November 2010, Perlmutter married Pomona High School mathematics teacher Nancy Henderson.[9]
7. Perlmutter to wed Math teacher.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bob Beauprez |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 7th congressional district January 3, 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Chris Murphy D-Connecticut |
United States Representatives by seniority 282nd |
Succeeded by Peter Roskam R-Illinois |