Charles Perko
Charles Perko (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 3. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 30, 2026.
Perko completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Charles Perko earned a high school diploma from Pueblo Central High School and attended the Colorado School of Mines. His career experience includes working in manufacturing.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Colorado State Senate District 3
Aaron Gutierrez and Dana Charles are running in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 3 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Aaron Gutierrez (D) | |
 | Dana Charles (R) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 3
Aaron Gutierrez defeated Taylor Voss in the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 3 on June 30, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Aaron Gutierrez | 55.5 | 10,559 |
 | Taylor Voss | 44.5 | 8,452 | |
| Total votes: 19,011 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Charles Perko (D)
- Nick Hinrichsen (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 3
Dana Charles advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 3 on June 30, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dana Charles | 100.0 | 13,373 |
| Total votes: 13,373 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Charles Perko completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Perko's responses.
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While I spent a few years living in Golden for college, I never considered it more than a temporary stop, and returned to Pueblo as often as I could. The moment the opportunity arose to be the fourth generation of my family to make a living at the steel mill, I jumped on it. October 2026 will mark my fifteen-year anniversary at the plant. I worked in quality assurance for a decade before moving to the finance department.
It was the mill job that brought me to my true calling in life. A born arguer and negotiator, I quickly found myself as an active part of United Steelworkers Local 3267. My political savvy and interest in legislative issues meant I was a natural fit to fill a government-affairs role in my union. Soon, I joined the executive board, and in 2018 was elected president of the Local, an office I continue to hold today.
My legislative experience and union leadership background make me the perfect fit for the state Senate. I have the skill, knowledge, and passion necessary to make sure southern Colorado is not forgotten at the capitol.- It was the steel industry that built Pueblo into an economic powerhouse for over a century. Today, we still suffer from the loss of large parts of that industry, but we have fared better than many similar communities. Pueblo has an opportunity to return to its former status as a center of making the many things that make life better. A strong workforce requires strong public schools. College opportunities and vocational and trades training must be made available equally while ensuring that our community has well-rounded students in all areas.
- Chuck is tired of watching Pueblo's public schools close. We had the best results when every kid had access to a school in their neighborhood. Shuttering buildings, cutting staff, and ripping students away from their friends is not the answer to funding problems. Neither is creating unnecessary and costly administrative positions to micromanage the classroom. We need to have faith that the highly-trained professionals who have dedicated their lives to education can do what they do best by giving them job security and a well-supplied space to work their magic. In addition they need the support of social service and mental health professionals on-site all day, every day to address issues as they arise and help our kids thrive.
- We must achieve a robust 21st century energy policy that balances necessary action to protect the environment with an understanding that a successful transition must not be rushed. All too often, we feel the need to pick sides. Protecting legacy energy sources without concern for environmental effects is wrong, but so is demanding that those who rely on the jobs involved sacrifice their financial well-being for the greater good. For that reason, we must seek a careful and just transition, where absolutely necessary, along with continuing research into carbon capture technology. Pueblo was recently chosen for a pilot program, and could be a center for ongoing research for years to come. We must simply ensure that funding is available.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 23, 2026
