Evanne "Evie" R Hudak is a former state legislator in the Colorado State Senate, and a member of the Democratic Party. Elected to the Colorado State Senate in 2008, Hudak represented Senate District 19, which encompasses Arvada and Westminster, Colorado. She resigned from the Colorado Senate on November 27, 2013 when facing a vote to recall her from office.
Hudak had no opposition in the August Democratic primary, but faced Republican Libby Szabo in the November 2008 general election. Hudak's candidacy was endorsed by the Arvada Press, the Wheat Ridge Transcript, and the Westminster Window, while her Republican challenger was endorsed by the Denver Post. Hudak won the legislative race with 51 percent of the popular vote.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Hudak was named to seats on the Senate Education Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee, where she served as vice-chair. In the 2009 session, Senator Hudak sponsored an education bill that aligned the state’s three different education accountability systems, based on student longitudinal growth. She also sponsored a major bill on parent involvement in education. Another of her bills was one that clarified the governance of library districts by refining some of the language in the law and requiring the creation of maps of all library districts. For this bill, she received the Friend of Libraries Award from the Colorado Library Association.
2010 legislative session
Hudak served as the Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 2010 session.
2012 election
Hudak won a second term in November 2012 by a margin of 584 votes, by less than one percent. Hudak received 35,664 votes. Her opponents were Republican Lang Sias, who received 35,080 votes, and Libertarian Lloyd Sweeny, who received 5,104 votes.
Controversy and recall petition
In March, 2013, while in a legislative hearing about legislation to ban concealed carry firearms from college campuses, rape survivor Amanda Collins discussed how, when attacked by convicted rapist and murderer James Biela, she wished she had a firearm to defend herself. Hudak responded: "I just want to say, statistics are not on your side, even if you had had a gun. You said that you were a martial arts student, I mean person, experience in taekwondo, and yet because this individual was so large and was able to overcome you even with your skills, and chances are that if you had had a gun, then he would have been able to get than from you and possibly use it against you..." Hudak's comments sparked outrage and were described as insensitive to rape victims. A recall petition was created by several Colorado citizens opposed to the legislation. Between September 6–7, 2013, Hudak was attending hearings of the Colorado Corrections Department and Parole Division, and was caught updating Facebook and Twitter with material unrelated to the hearings. When confronted with evidence she described it as "extraneous." On October 4, 2013, a second effort to recall State Senator Hudak as a result of her support for gun control began. Two members of the Colorado State Legislature were recalled from office earlier in 2013.
Resignation
On November 27, 2013, the Denver Post announced that Hudak intended to resign her seat in the face of the recall. Hudak later held a press conference where she announced her resignation. Because she is resigning, the Democrats will be able to appoint a replacement; if she had been recalled, the Republicans could have gained a majority in the state senate. Her resignation was a recognition that the recall effort might have been successful.
