Jubilant Democrats nominated Mark Ferrandino as speaker of the House on Thursday, the first time in Colorado history a gay lawmaker has presided over the chamber.

The nomination, he said, was a victory not only for gays but also for every special-ed kid who was ever picked on and bullied.

In his four years as a state legislator, the Denver lawmaker has earned a reputation as a budget wonk and a practical joker who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Ferrandino struggled Thursday to hold back his tears.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry, but as a kid growing up in New York who had a learning disability, who was in special education, who struggled a lot, a kid who was picked on, called names, to be where I am and have your support, that is awesome; it is humbling,” he said.

“I couldn’t dream when I was in elementary school or high school that I would be standing here. So thank you.”

Ferrandino was born with oxygen deprivation. He was cross-eyed and had to have surgery to correct his eye condition. He also had problems developing his speech and reading and had other learning difficulties.

“From a young age, it was evident I was not at the same speed as my twin sister,” he once said.

His twin and his parents were present as Democrats gave Ferrandino a standing ovation.

Ferrandino was expected to be the fourth gay state House speaker in the country starting next session, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Ferrandino is the first Colorado speaker who has acknowledged being gay.

He will take over from Republican Speaker Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch, whose party is back in the minority after Tuesday’s election.

Democrats picked up five seats in the House, including knocking out four GOP incumbents, to give them a 37-28 majority for the next two years.

McNulty and Ferrandino were pitted against other in May when McNulty refused to allow the House to debate Ferrandino’s bill to allow gay couples to form civil unions. But for the most part, they have enjoyed a friendly relationship since Ferrandino became the minority leader one year ago.

During the session this year, Republican lawmaker Laura Bradford threatened to leave the party, which would have thrown the GOP’s precarious 33-32 majority into chaos. Speculation loomed that Ferrandino might wind up as speaker.

Ferrandino carried a box with him the next time he met with McNulty in the speaker’s office. He opened it and starting placing his personal photographs around the office, “just to see how they looked.” Both he and McNulty howled.

Ferrandino will be bringing in those pictures for real soon enough.

Growing up, Ferrandino always had an interest in politics, and he majored in political science and economics at the University of Rochester.

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Armed with a master’s degree in public-policy analysis, Ferrandino got a job working for the Office of Management and Budget at the White House under President Bill Clinton and then under George W. Bush.

He met his partner, Greg Wertsch, a federal agent for the Department of Homeland Security, in Washington, D.C., and when federal officials offered Wertsch a job in Denver, the pair moved out West. The couple has been together 12 years.

Ferrandino eventually got a job as a budget analyst with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing in 2006, steeping himself in Medicaid and the state budget, which became handy when he was elected the next year to fill a vacancy in the legislature.

In other House leadership elections, Dickey Lee Hullinghorst of Boulder was elected majority leader while Mark Waller of Colorado Springs was elected minority leader.

Waller said he was bummed about being back in the minority but grateful to still “live in the greatest country in the world.”

“In other countries, when you lose an election they take you out and shoot you,” Waller said.

In the Senate, Colorado Springs Democrat John Morse was nominated as president, beating back challenges from Pat Steadman, another gay lawmaker, and Rollie Heath. Lucia Guzman of Denver won the Senate president pro tem race, while Morgan Carroll of Aurora will take over as the majority leader. Republican Sen. Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs continues as the minority leader for the GOP caucus.

Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels

Staff writers Kurtis Lee and Tim Hoover contributed to this report.