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Democrat Heidi McCollum becomes 1st female District Attorney in 5th Judicial District

Nate Peterson and Tom Lotshaw
Vail Daily
Heidi McCollum
Courtesy Heidi McCollum

EAGLE — Heidi McCollum spent Election Day at the office. The assistant district attorney was in court Tuesday prosecuting the first-degree murder trial of Leigha Ackerson.

On Tuesday evening, when polls closed at 7 p.m., McCollum was elected as the new district attorney, becoming the first female in the Fifth Judicial District to hold the top prosecutor’s job.

Her win in the race was all but secured in the June 30 Democratic primary when she decisively beat Braden Angel. No Republican entered the field for the primary.



“Having grown up here, knowing this community, and having seen it grow over the years, it gives me a tremendous sense of pride to be able to serve it in the capacity as a district attorney,” she said. “I have family that lives throughout the district, I’m very proud of my Colorado roots, and I’m very honored to be able to hold this position.”

McCollum has spent most of her life in Eagle County. She’s a graduate of Eagle Valley High School who went to Mesa State College before attending law school at Chapman University in California. She interned with the Fifth Judicial District after law school before going into private practice for a few years. She has been the assistant district attorney under Bruce Brown since 2013.



The sprawling Fifth Judicial District encompasses Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake and Summit counties.

McCollum said she never set out to be a trailblazer, but she’s proud to make history.

“More women are running for DA positions across Colorado than ever,” she said. “My whole response to what do I think about being the first woman elected to this position in this district, I would make the same comment about all the women running across the state: It’s about time. …”


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