{{short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Cole Wist | image = Cole Wist.JPG | image_size = 225px | image_upright = | alt = | caption = Wist in 2018. | state_house = Colorado | district = 37th | term_start = January 12, 2016 | term_end = January 4, 2019 | predecessor = Jack Tate | successor = Tom Sullivan | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|12|24|df=yes}} | birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic (1996 – ?)<br>Republican (? – 2022)<br>Unaffiliated (2022 – present) | spouse = Susan | children = Connor<br>Abby<br>Halle | alma_mater = J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1988<br> B.A., University of Denver, 1985 | profession = Attorney | website = {{URL|http://colewist.com/}} }}
'''Cole Wist''' is an attorney and former state representative from Arapahoe County, Colorado. A Republican, Wist represented Colorado House of Representatives District 37 and served as Assistant Minority Leader in the House.
==Early life and family== Wist was born in Fort Worth, Texas,<ref>Vote Smart. [https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/12704/cole-wist#.WHkv2UeHPXc Cole Wist's Biography]. Viewed: 2017-01-13.</ref> but he was raised in Paonia, Colorado. He and his wife Susan have three daughters.<ref>Wist, Cole. [http://colewist.com/ Experience, Passion and Common Sense for Colorado.] Viewed: 2017-01-13.</ref>
==Education== Wist earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver in 1985. He also holds a J.D. Degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He works as an attorney at Ogletree, Deakins.<ref>Ogletree, Deakins. [http://ogletree.com/people/cole-wist People: Cole A. Wist] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162819/http://ogletree.com/people/cole-wist |date=2017-01-16 }}.</ref>
==Political career== In 1996, Wist ran for the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat and lost to Kay Alexander.<ref name=goodland2022/>
Wist was appointed as a Republican to the State House in January 2016 after his predecessor, Jack Tate, resigned to fill a vacant State Senate seat.<ref>Bunch, Joey. [http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2016/01/10/cole-wist-chosen-to-fill-district-37-seat-in-the-colorado-house/124395/#disqus_thread Cole Wist chosen to fill District 37 seat in the Colorado House.] ''The Denver Post'' Blogs: The Spot for Politics & Policy, January 10, 2016. Viewed: 2017-01-13.</ref> Wist then ran for the office in the November 2016 general election and won, beating his Democratic challenger with 54.65% of the vote.<ref>Ballotpedia. [https://ballotpedia.org/Cole_Wist Cole Wist]. Viewed: 2017-01-13.</ref> With Democratic assistant majority leader Alec Garnett, Wist sponsored a red flag bill in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Birkeland |first=Bente |title=Drama Surrounds GOP Lawmaker's Support For Colorado Gun Bill |work=Colorado Public Radio |url=https://www.cpr.org/2018/05/02/drama-surrounds-gop-lawmakers-support-for-colorado-gun-bill/ |date=May 2, 2018 |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> This bill failed, but a similar bill was signed into law during the following session.<ref>{{cite news |last=Birkeland |first=Bente |title=Colorado's 'Red Flag' Gun Bill Is Now Law. But The Fight Over It Still Continues |work=Colorado Public Radio |date=April 9, 2019 |url=https://www.cpr.org/2019/04/09/colorados-red-flag-gun-bill-is-now-law-but-the-fight-over-it-still-continues/ |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> Wist ran for reelection in 2018 but lost to Democrat Tom Sullivan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/91808/Web02-state.222648/#/ |title=Colorado election results: November 6, 2018 election |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2018-12-06 |website=Colorado Secretary of State |publisher= |access-date=2019-01-04 |quote=}}</ref>
Since leaving the legislature, Wist has criticized Donald Trump and the Republican Party for their handling of the Charlottesville car attack,<ref>{{cite news |last=Salzman |first=Jason |title=Former CO GOP House Leader, Former Chair of CO Republican Party Back Biden |work=Colorado Times Recorder |date=September 14, 2020 |url=https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/09/former-co-gop-house-leader-former-chair-of-co-republican-party-back-biden/30315/ |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> voting rights,<ref name=goodland2022/> the 2021 United States Capitol attack,<ref name=goodland2022/> and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.<ref name=goodland2022>{{cite news |last=Goodland |first=Marianne |title=Cole Wist, former House Assistant Minority Leader, leaves GOP |work=Colorado Politics |date=January 4, 2022 |url=https://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/cole-wist-leaves-gop-trump-unaffiliated-voter/article_67bc9b58-6daf-11ec-83a2-d3026027a005.html |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> He opposed the efforts of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners to recall his former rival Tom Sullivan in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wist |first=Cole |title=Wist: I disagree with Tom Sullivan on policy, but the effort to recall him is wrong |date=May 16, 2019 |work=The Colorado Sun |url=https://coloradosun.com/2019/05/16/wist-i-disagree-with-tom-sullivan-on-policy-but-the-effort-to-recall-him-is-wrong/ |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> During the 2020 presidential election Wist was a steering committee member of The Lincoln Project's Republicans and Independents for Biden group.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goodland |first=Marianne |work=Colorado Politics |title=Republicans and Independents for Biden add a former House GOP leader to the board |url=https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/republicans-and-independents-for-biden-add-a-former-house-gop-leader-to-the-board/article_e6234df0-08d6-11eb-91f4-5388a458fb98.html |date=October 7, 2020 |accessdate=January 7, 2022}}</ref> In January 2022 Wist announced that he was leaving the Republican Party to become unaffiliated.<ref name=goodland2022/>
== References == {{reflist|1}}
==External links== * [http://colewist.com/ Campaign website] * [https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/cole-wist State House website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wist, Cole}} Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Category:University of Denver alumni Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni Category:Colorado Democrats Category:People from Paonia, Colorado Category:1962 births Category:Politicians from Fort Worth, Texas Category:Colorado independents Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly
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