{{about|the American politician|the American jazz musician|Sal Pace (jazz musician)}} {{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name=Sal Pace | state_house=Colorado | state=Colorado | district=46th | term_start=January 7, 2009 | term_end=November 6, 2012 | preceded=Dorothy Butcher | succeeded=Leroy Garcia | birth_date={{birth date and age|1976|12|14}} | birth_place=New London, Connecticut | death_date= | death_place= | spouse=Marlene Valdez Pace | profession= | education = Fort Lewis College (BA)<br />Louisiana State University (MA) | party=Democratic |}}
'''Sal Pace''' (born December 14, 1976) is an American politician and marijuana advocate who served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, where he represented House District 46, which includes western Pueblo, Colorado from 2008 to 2012.<ref name="map">{{cite web |url=http://comaps.org/district46h.html |title=State House District 36 |accessdate=2007-12-23 |work=COMaps |archive-date=March 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304221427/http://www.comaps.org/district46h.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> During his time at the state house, Pace served as the Colorado House minority leader. In 2012, he ran against incumbent congressman Republican Scott Tipton in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, although Tipton was ultimately re-elected.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/us-house/2012/ |title=Denver Post - U.S. House 2012 Election Results}}</ref> He then served as a County Commissioner of Pueblo County, Colorado until 2019.
==Early life and education== Pace, the youngest of nine children, moved to Colorado when he was 18. He attended Fort Lewis College, where he majored in political science and was appointed by the State Board of Agriculture to serve on a search committee for a Fort Lewis College president. He then attended Louisiana State University, earning a master's degree in American political theory.<ref name="pacebio">{{cite web |url=http://salpace.com/about-sal |title=About Sal |work=Sal Pace campaign website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304203719/http://www.salpace.com/about-sal |archive-date=March 4, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 26, 2024 }}</ref>
== Career == Pace taught American government at Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University–Pueblo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://durangoherald.com/article/20120617/NEWS01/706179835/-1/taxonomy/Sal-Pace|title=The Durango Herald - Local News - Sal Pace|work=The Durango Herald |accessdate=13 June 2023}}</ref>
Pace served as a legislative aide to John Salazar in the Colorado House of Representatives, where he worked on water and health care legislation. When Salazar was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Pace continued to work for him as a District Director, Congressional staffer, and as the manager of Salazar's 2006 re-election campaign.<ref name="pacebio" /><ref name="poll">{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Garner |title=Salazar-financed poll shows him with big lead |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2006/oct/20/salazar-financed-poll-shows-him-with-big-lead/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=20 October 2006 |accessdate=2008-11-02 }}</ref>
Pace was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2008 and served until 2012. During his time in the house, Pace advocated for statewide marijuana legalization. In 2012, recreational marijuana use was legalized through Colorado Amendment 64. Pace has drafted and sponsored several bills related to marijuana policy and has been credited with transforming Pueblo County, Colorado into the "Napa Valley of cannabis." Since leaving the State House, Pace continued to specialize in marijuana policy on the county level.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Thomas|date=2020-08-26|title=Gardner Wants USDA to Slow Down on Federal Hemp Rules|url=https://www.westword.com/marijuana/republican-senator-wants-usda-to-slow-down-on-federal-hemp-rules-11782529|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Westword}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-26|title=Updated — Sal Pace: The truth about Colorado|url=https://vtdigger.org/2017/06/26/sal-pace-truth-colorado/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=VTDigger|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hillstrom|first=Zach|title=Oregon congressman thrilled with Pueblo cannabis industry|url=https://www.chieftain.com/7af5f136-9b3f-5b45-bdf6-edbcf6d2f2d6.html|access-date=2020-08-27|website=The Pueblo Chieftain|language=en}}</ref> Pace serves on the national board of the Marijuana Policy Project,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Thomas|date=2018-10-27|title=Sal Pace Is Just Fine With Being Pueblo County's "Cannabis" Commissioner|url=https://www.westword.com/marijuana/pueblo-county-commissioner-sale-pace-talks-about-his-new-post-with-marijuana-activism-group-10931835|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Westword}}</ref> which advocates for liberalizing marijuana laws within states. He also sits on the national advisory board at HeadCount's Cannabis Voter Project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-13|title=Weed Wonks Episode 7 - Discussing the Cannabis Voter Project with Sal Pace|url=https://vicentesederberg.com/updates/weed-wonks-sal-pace-episode-7/|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Vicente Sederberg LLP|language=en}}</ref> In Colorado, Pace is a Governor-appointed board member on the Institute of Cannabis Research.
After the 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election, Pace was selected to serve as a co-chair on Governor-elect Jared Polis' transition team.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mestas|first=Anthony A.|title=Pueblo Commissioner Pace excited to join Polis team|url=https://www.chieftain.com/news/20181113/pueblo-commissioner-pace-excited-to-join-polis-team|access-date=2020-08-27|website=The Pueblo Chieftain|language=en}}</ref>
Pace currently consults in government affairs and cannabis policy.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Dan|last=Njegomir|title=Q&A with Sal Pace — pol, Puebloan|url=https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/q-a-with-sal-pace-pol-puebloan/article_4722b44c-ece4-11ea-bf7a-fbba8e48cb73.html|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Colorado Politics|date=September 7, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
===2012 Congressional election=== {{Main|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado}} Pace's race was touted as a primary example by Time Magazine of the role that so-called SuperPacs can play in winning an election. Having gotten close in the polls near October 1, the GOP money machine targeted the seat. Without Democrats matching, Pace ultimately lost.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dark Money Rises|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-rises|access-date=2020-08-27|website=ProPublica|date=November 2012 |language=en}}</ref>
In the 2012 general election, Pace faced Republican Congressman Scott Tipton. Tipton won by a margin of 53% to 41%, with the remainder of the vote going to third-party candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/43032/111283/en/summary.html|title=CO - Election Results|website=results.enr.clarityelections.com|accessdate=13 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/state-house/2012/ |title=State House 2012 Election Results - Denver Post |access-date=November 12, 2012 |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708040426/http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/state-senate/2012/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
===Pueblo County Commission=== From 2013 until 2019, Pace served as a County Commissioner of Pueblo County, Colorado. As one of three commissioners, each elected county-wide, he represented the 165,000 residents of Pueblo County.<ref>{{Cite web | title=salpace.com | url=http://www.salpace.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012214331/http://salpace.com:80/ | access-date=2025-03-18 | archive-date=2007-10-12}}</ref>
Pace has been an advocate for passenger rail in Colorado. He chaired the Southwest Chief Passenger Rail Commission while serving as a County Commissioner. In 2016, Pace received the highest national recognition from Amtrak, the President's Safety and Service Award.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mestas|first=Anthony A.|title=Commissioner Pace wins Amtrak award; his efforts to save 'Chief' recognized|url=https://www.chieftain.com/9f884941-5868-5d58-88e0-275605970675.html|access-date=2020-10-23|website=The Pueblo Chieftain|language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == Pace is divorced and has three children.<ref name="pacebio" /><ref name="addition">{{cite news|last=Ashby|first=Charles|date=10 January 2009|title=Capitol Notes|work=Pueblo Chieftain|url=http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/01/11/news/denver_bureau/doc496988e2ec6f3714213991.txt|accessdate=2009-02-05}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/House/members/Hou46.htm Legislative profile] at the Colorado General Assembly *[http://www.paceforcolorado.com/ Sal Pace for U.S. Congress] campaign website *{{CongLinks | votesmart = 106588 | fec = H2CO03138 }} *[http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=CO03 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, Sal}} Category:Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Category:Living people Category:1975 births Category:County commissioners in Colorado Category:Politicians from New London, Connecticut Category:People from Pueblo County, Colorado Category:Fort Lewis College alumni Category:Louisiana State University alumni Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly