Sen. Ron Tupa arrived at the legislature in 1994 as a bachelor. The Democrat from Boulder, who started out in the House, met Republican Kara Miller, who was a Capitol staffer. They've been married for five years. (By the way, she's still a Republican.)

Tupa, 40, used to teach, but these days he's a stay-at-home dad to son Miller Tupa, 17 months, and daughter Austin Tupa, 13 weeks. ("They're unaffiliated," Dad joked.)

Tupa, who is term-limited next year, has pushed for ethics reform and education funding.

- Lynn Bartels Today's portrait is one in a series featuring lawmakers. To see past portraits, go to RockyMountainNews.com/legislature.