LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Politics can make the holidays tough for a lot of families, and that includes politicians. Colorado Public Radio's Bente Birkeland brings us this story about how one politically-divided family keeps the peace.
BENTE BIRKELAND, BYLINE: Monica Duran is one of the top Democratic leaders in Colorado. She serves as the House majority leader and manages the floor and the hundreds of bills that come through the House each legislative session.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Members, we are moving into business. Madam Majority Leader.
MONICA DURAN: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I move the following bills be made special orders...
BIRKELAND: But in her actual House, the Democrat has long been outnumbered by Republicans. Her two sons are conservative. So was her late husband. They all voted for President Trump.
DURAN: We're very vocal. Nothing is really held back. So they can be very passionate. And I think when it gets to that point where we're kind of heated, you know, I will say, just timeout. You know, family comes before politics. It just has to.
BIRKELAND: Her oldest son, Patrick Ellis, says he's learned a lot from his mom, but when it comes to the issues, she's never managed to change his mind and he's never changed hers.
PATRICK ELLIS: I've tried. I think it worked the same way as when you tried to convince me, is...
DURAN: (Laughter) Yeah.
ELLIS: ...I think you'll hear what I'm saying, you'll understand my perspective, but it will run into a core belief that you have where there is no changing that.
BIRKELAND: Patrick studied political science in college and still follows politics closely. Duran says he was the driving force behind her first run for office.
DURAN: I was working, and he said, Mom, why don't you do that for yourself? You've always wanted to. And, you know, you always think, well, what do I have to offer? What do I know about any of this?
BIRKELAND: Duran is in her eighth year at the State House, serving her final session because of term limits. She lives in a suburb of Denver. Patrick is her constituent, and he says his mom is the only Democrat he's ever voted for.
ELLIS: I found instead of really focusing in on the handful of issues we don't agree on is the ones that I do agree with my mom. So, like, what she does for victims, for women, what she's done for animals, things like that, like, we're 100% in agreement with.
BIRKELAND: But some policy disagreements are impossible to ignore and have had a big impact on her family. Duran's been a champion of Colorado's stricter gun laws, like waiting periods and age limits for purchases. Those laws led her son David Duran to move out of the state.
DURAN: My younger son is extremely passionate and very vocal. He's moved his family to Wyoming because of the direction Colorado is going.
BIRKELAND: Her son David didn't want to be interviewed for this story. Duran says it can be hard to hear his stance on gun laws.
DURAN: I acknowledge the fact that, yeah, you're right. I have ran those policies, and I realize they've impacted what you feel are your freedoms and your choices that you want to be able to make and how you want to raise your daughter, my granddaughter.
BIRKELAND: For Patrick, he says the key to their strong family bond is respect. He says people are so much more than their party affiliation.
ELLIS: It's not the biggest focal point of our relationships. My mom is my mother. You know, she's my best friend. She's somebody I can confide in. I don't look at her as somebody who votes entirely different than me.
BIRKELAND: Over the holidays, Duran says she and her sons plan to get together. David loves to cook for the family.
DURAN: He takes after his dad, so he will make many different dishes - Mexican dishes. I know. Patrick loves it. I love it.
BIRKELAND: And when it comes to politics, Duran says she still holds out the tiniest bit of hope that someday her sons will say, turns out Mom was right all along.
For NPR News, I'm Bente Birkeland.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THERE IS NO CHRISTMAS LIKE A HOME CHRISTMAS")
PERRY COMO: (Singing) There is no Chrismas like a home... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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