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Before a room packed with political allies and occasional foes, former state Rep. Bernie Buescher was sworn in as Colorado's secretary of state Wednesday.

"I regard the secretary of state's office as, in many ways, the guardian of our constitutional democracy," Buescher, a Democrat from Grand Junction, said after taking the oath of office. "I will do everything in my power to make the process as transparent and as effective as it can be."

In a testament to Buescher's popularity at the Capitol, Republican and Democratic state lawmakers alike came out to watch an event also attended by a number of other state officials, lobbyists and political players.