Cory Scott Gardner, born August 22, 1974, in Yuma, Colorado, is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist. Raised in a fifth-generation family farm equipment dealership in rural eastern Colorado, he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in political science from Colorado State University in 1997 and earned a J.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2001. Initially registered as a Democrat, Gardner switched to the Republican Party during college, interned at the Colorado State Capitol, and worked early in his career as a spokesperson for the National Corn Growers Association and as general counsel and legislative director for U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (2002-2005). Gardner launched his political career in 2005 when appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives for District 63, where he served until 2011, rising to minority whip and focusing on small-government, low-tax policies, energy (renewables and fossil fuels), and agriculture. Elected to the U.S. House for Colorado's 4th Congressional District in 2010, defeating incumbent Betsy Markey, he served until 2015. In 2014, he won Colorado's U.S. Senate seat by defeating incumbent Mark Udall, serving as a United States Senator from 2015 to 2021 on committees including Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Foreign Relations. He was defeated for re-election in 2020 by John Hickenlooper. A prominent Republican voice on energy and environmental issues, as well as technology, telecommunications, and cybersecurity, Gardner chaired subcommittees on cybersecurity and advocated for rural broadband and spectrum policy. Since leaving the Senate in 2021, Gardner has served as President and CEO of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, a trade group for the cable and internet industry in Washington, D.C., continuing his focus on technology innovation, communications infrastructure, and policy advocacy. He is married to Jaime Gardner, with whom he has three children, and is Lutheran.