Sen. Byron Pelton wraps up first year in Colorado State Senate

First-year State Senator Byron Pelton of Sterling had big shoes to fill when he was sworn into office last January.

Succeeding 16-year lawmaker Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, now a Logan County commissioner, Pelton was immediately part of a coalition of new senators on both sides of the aisle who were expected to stand strong for rural Coloradans and the agriculture industry.

In addition to Byron Pelton, that included his cousin, Republican Sen. Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells, who until the 2021 redrawing of senate boundaries represented northeastern Colorado in the House; Sen. Dylan Roberts, an Avon De...