Ed has deep roots in the 7th Congressional District and has lived in Jefferson County his entire life. His grandfather and father ran a concrete business (in what is now the 7th District) for decades. Ed attended Jefferson County public schools and then worked construction with his father during the summers while in law school at the University of Colorado. He chose to raise his family in the district where his three daughters also attended Jefferson County Public Schools. Ed currently lives in Arvada with his wife Nancy, a public school teacher, and their dogs: Tucker and Winston.

In 1994, Ed was elected to the Colorado State Senate as the first Democrat to hold the seat in nearly 30 years. He served two terms and garnered the reputation as a bipartisan bridge-builder and a champion of renewable energy and smart growth policies. 

In 2006, Ed was first elected to represent the 7th Congressional District in Congress and is currently serving in his fourth term. Ed’s top priority in the 113th Congress is creating good jobs for the hardworking people in Colorado. Good paying jobs will be maintained and created by promoting energy security and independence by working with the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other world-class private sector energy businesses, moving forward with construction of the new VA Hospital and expanding Colorado’s role and economic development opportunities in the aerospace industry including the Orion manned space flight program.

In the 113th Congress, Ed is proud to be assigned to the exclusive Financial Services Committee including the following subcommittees: 1) Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE); 2) Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. Perlmutter is also co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Energy Task Force.