Harlan Andrew Romanoff (born August 24, 1966) is an American politician, attorney, and academic. A Democrat, he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, serving as Speaker from 2005 to 2009. He was a candidate for the United States Senate in the 2010 election, when he was defeated by incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in the primary. Romanoff was a candidate for Colorado's 6th congressional district in 2014, losing to incumbent Republican Mike Coffman. He ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 United States Senate election in Colorado, losing to former Governor John Hickenlooper. Early life and education Romanoff was raised in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Columbus Academy. His mother, a Democrat, was a social worker. His father, a Republican, was a prosecutor. Romanoff has a twin sister. Romanoff is Jewish. Romanoff earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University. He took time off from Yale to work at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where he researched the Ku Klux Klan. He also worked at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and taught English in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. During his time in Nicaragua, his political philosophy was shaped by reading A Theory of Justice by liberal philosopher John Rawls. Romanoff obtained a Master's degree in public policy from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to earning a J.D. degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Romanoff worked for Democratic Congressman David Skaggs. Career From 1993 to 1997, Romanoff worked as a senior associate at the consulting firm of Greenberg Baron Simon & Miller. Romanoff served as a senior policy advisor to Governor Roy Romer from 1997 to 1999. Romanoff has taught government at the University of Colorado Denver (1999), the Community College of Denver (1996–2005), Metropolitan State College of Denver (1996-2005), and Red Rocks Community College (1996–2005). Romanoff has been a senior advisor with International Development Enterprises since 2010. Colorado House of Representatives Romanoff was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, winning reelection three times. He became Speaker of the House in 2005, and at the time was the youngest speaker in Colorado House history. Before becoming speaker he was the House Minority Leader, representing House District 6. Many considered Romanoff a possible Democratic candidate for governor of Colorado in 2006, but he announced in late 2005 that he would not