First-term state Sen. Josh Penry is a leading candidate to become the Senate’s top Republican, the Grand Junction lawmaker’s colleagues said this week.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, said Penry’s political prowess and ability to negotiate from a position of strength, even as a member of the minority party, makes him a prime candidate to lead the Republican caucus.

“He’s definitely the future of the Republican Party in Colorado, particularly in the Senate,” Brophy said.

Senate Minority Leader Andrew McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, who has served as the Senate’s top Republican since mid-2005, is term-limited this year after serving six years in the House and eight years in the Senate.

“(Penry) has a nose for what’s important,” Brophy said. “And it seems like he finds a way to be involved in those things that are really important.”

Penry, 32, said he is open to heading the caucus, but he wants to get through the 2008 election cycle, which could see him stumping for Republican Senate candidates all over Colorado.

“It’s something I’ve had a handful of conversations with folks about, but it’s not something I have been aggressively working over the course of the session,” he said.

Penry would be the first Western Slope state lawmaker to hold a leadership role at the state Legislature since Rep. Russ George, R-Rifle, served as speaker of the House from 1999 to 2000.

“It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that I may throw my hat in the ring for minority leader,” Penry said.

He said he has heard Brophy and Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, are possible minority leader candidates.

The Grand Junction senator is not the only Western Slope denizen who could become a legislative leader next year.

Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, is a frequently mentioned candidate to replace outgoing Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver.

Rep. Al White, R-Hayden, said 2009 could be a major year for the Western Slope if Penry and Buescher become the leaders of their respective caucuses in each chamber of the General Assembly.

White, who is running to replace outgoing Sen. Jack Taylor, R-Steamboat Springs, said he can’t think of any other prominent Republican senators who could fill the position as well as Penry.

“He has made gains on major issues from the minority,” White said. “He certainly has impressed me.”

Penry and three other lawmakers carried this year’s sweeping, bipartisan realignment of Colorado’s K-12 education standards. He also assisted Buescher and Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, in pushing through an overhaul of how the state invests its burgeoning mineral leasing revenue.

Penry helped negotiate a compromise last year between the energy industry, conservationists and the governor’s office on how to expand and reconstitute the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

He also led efforts to kill legislation aimed at expanding workers’ abilities to form all-union shops as well as Gov. Bill Ritter’s plan to freeze school district property tax rates.

Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said Penry’s ability to provide a counter-argument to the Democratic agenda is what makes him a top candidate for the minority leader job.

“When you’re in the minority, you have a distinct role to challenge the majority and their agenda when it doesn’t fit with your values and your goals for the state,” Cadman said. “I think Josh has that ability.”

Penry began his political ascent at Mesa State College, where he served as student body president. Shortly after he finished school in the fall of 1998, Penry joined the staff of Congressman Scott McInnis, R-Colo.

After working for McInnis in various roles, including press secretary and chief of staff for the U.S. House Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee, Penry returned to the Grand Valley.

Penry formally entered the race to succeed term-limited Rep. Matt Smith, R-Grand Junction, in December 2003.

He continued his rise in state politics when he vied against Smith in 2006 to replace term-limited Sen. Ron Teck, R-Grand Junction. Penry easily won both his 2006 primary and general election contests.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said it is crucial, for the sake of good policy and debate at the state Legislature, that the majority party be held accountable by the minority. Romer said he knows from his work alongside and opposite Penry that the Grand Junction lawmaker would provide that important balance.

“I really value having a strong opponent, because I think the best laws and the best outcomes are made when you have really good people who come from different perspectives,” Romer said.