Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, the chamber’s top Republican, resigned Monday after clashes with Democrats during a special session and controversy over a secretly taken photograph of another lawmaker.

In a letter to supporters, Pugliese said she was stepping down to focus on her children.

“I have spent the months reflecting on my life choices, especially in relation to my children. As a single mom, I raise my two children on my own. I am all that they have. There is nothing more important in my life than them. They have made so many sacrifices for me to be able to represent you. But they also need their mom right now, and I need to keep them safe,” she wrote.

Pugliese was elected Colorado House Minority Leader in 2024 after her predecessor, Mike Lynch, resigned for failing to disclose an arrest on charges of drunk driving and possessing a firearm while intoxicated.

Her departure follows heated clashes with Democrats during a special session and came in the wake of Republican Rep. Ryan Armagost’s abrupt resignation. Armagost, the former minority whip, admitted to secretly photographing a Democratic lawmaker during floor proceedings, the Washington Examiner reported.