It’s Election Day in Denver.
Voters will decide whether former Denver Metro Chamber CEO Kelly Brough or former state Sen. Mike Johnston will be the city’s mayor for the next four years.
Polls closed at 7 p.m.
There are also three City Council runoffs:
- District 8 in northeast Denver, where Brad Revare, who leads Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit business coalition, faces Shontel Lewis, a former member of the RTD board
- District 9 in north-central Denver, where incumbent Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca faces Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board
- District 10 in central Denver, where incumbent Councilman Chris Hinds faces Shannon Hoffman, a political newcomer whose background is in activism and nonprofits
Note: There was supposed to be a runoff in District 7, but candidate Nick Campion dropped out of the contest, effectively handing a victory to Flor Alvidrez, a small business owner. Campion is still on the ballot, but he is no longer a candidate in the race.
Check coloradosun.com this evening for results, which should start being posted shortly after voting ends.
Mike Johnston beats Kelly Brough to become Denver’s first new mayor in 12 years
Former state Sen. Mike Johnston will be Denver’s next mayor after winning a decisive victory Tuesday over Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in the city’s runoff election.
Johnston had 54% of the vote to Brough’s 46% at 10:15 p.m. when Brough conceded. The pair were separated by about 10,500 votes.
“I called Mike and I wished him godspeed in the work ahead,” Brough said at her campaign’s election night watch party in downtown Denver.
Johnston will take the reins from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who has led the Mile High City for the past 12 years. The new mayor will be inaugurated July 17 and be paid nearly $206,000 annually to run the city, which has 11,000 employees and a budget of nearly $3.8 billion.
“This race was about a big vision of what’s possible for Denver — about a big dream for Denver,” Johnston told his supporters at his campaign watch party at Union Station downtown. “We can build a city that is big enough to keep all of us safe, to house all of us, to support all of us. That is our dream of Denver.”
Spirits are high in Union Station at Mike Johnston’s watch party
At exactly 8:30 p.m., as the Denver Elections Division prepared to drop a new batch of Denver mayoral runoff election results, a chant started in the great hall of Union Station, where former state Sen. Mike Johnston’s watch party was taking place.
“Re-fresh! Re-fresh! Re-fresh!”
The voices are directed at a monitor projecting the live election results.
The monitor attendant hit the refresh button and everyone inhaled together.
The results were replaced by a blank white screen, and then an error message. A widespread “awww” of disappointment traveled around, and conversations resumed.
The screen eventually showed Johnston holding a big lead over his opponent, Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
— Parker Yamasaki, The Colorado Sun
Darrell Watson declares victory over Candi CdeBaca in Denver’s City Council District 9
Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board, declared victory Tuesday night over incumbent Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca in Denver’s City Council District 9.
Watson was leading with 63.5% of the vote to CdeBaca’s 36.5% of the vote at 8:30 p.m.
Watson said CdeBaca hadn’t conceded but he told The Colorado Sun “we feel confident at this point and we’re declaring” victory.
“The vote that you’re seeing there communicates clearly that the residents of District 9 want change — they want a positive change,” he said. “They want progress and we’re moving forward.”
District 9 is based in north-central Denver.
CdeBaca was supported by the Colorado Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.
Outside groups spent more than $118,000 opposing CdeBaca during the runoff and more than $205,000 supporting Watson.
– Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun
Mike Johnston maintains his big lead over Kelly Brough in Denver mayoral race after latest returns; progressive City Council candidates still trail
Former State Sen. Mike Johnston maintained his sizable, early lead over Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in Denver’s mayoral runoff after a new batch of results were posted at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Johnston had 54% of the vote to Brough’s 46%. He was leading by about 10,000 votes.
The 8:30 p.m. results reflect ballots cast through 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Election Day.
Meanwhile, the three progressive candidates vying for three Denver City Council seats in Tuesday’s runoff election were still trailing their opponents. Here were the results as of 8:30 p.m.:
- In District 9 in north-central Denver, incumbent Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca had 36.5% of the vote, while Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board, had 63.5%
- In District 10 in central Denver, incumbent Councilman Chris Hinds had 58% of the vote while Shannon Hoffman, a political newcomer whose background is in activism and nonprofits, had 42%
- In the open District 8 in northeast Denver, Brad Revare, who leads Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit business coalition, had a 1-percentage point lead over Shontel Lewis, a former member of the RTD board member.
CdeBaca, Lewis and Hoffman are all supported by the Colorado Working Families Party. CdeBaca and Hoffman were also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
Results will be updated at 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The 10 p.m. results will include unofficial turnout numbers, according to the Denver Elections Division.
Get live results here: https://www.denvergov.org/electionresults#/results/20230606
— Sandra Fish and Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun
Candi CdeBaca, two other progressive candidates for Denver City Council are lagging in early runoff election returns
The three progressive candidates vying for three Denver City Council seats in Tuesday’s runoff election are trailing their opponents in results posted shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m.
- In District 9 in north-central Denver, incumbent Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca had 36% of the vote, while Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board, had 64%
- In District 10 in central Denver, incumbent Councilman Chris Hinds had 58% of the vote while Shannon Hoffman, a political newcomer whose background is in activism and nonprofits, had 42%
- In the open District 8 in northeast Denver, Brad Revare, who leads Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit business coalition, and Shontel Lewis, a former member of the RTD board, each had about 50% of the vote. Lewis was trailing slightly
CdeBaca, Lewis and Hoffman are all supported by the Colorado Working Families Party. The three were also all endorsed by the Denver branch of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Results will be updated at 8:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Get live results here: https://www.denvergov.org/electionresults#/results/20230606
— Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun
Mike Johnston takes early lead over Kelly Brough in Denver’s mayoral runoff
Former state Sen. Mike Johnston took an early lead Tuesday night over Kelly Brough in Denver’s mayoral runoff.
The first batch of results was posted at 7 p.m. Johnston had 53% of the vote to Brough’s 47%. He was leading by about 8,000 votes.
There was cheering at Johnston’s watch party as the first returns were posted. The mood at Brough’s watch party was muted.
Results will be updated at 8:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Get live results here: https://www.denvergov.org/electionresults#/results/20230606
— Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun
Turnout in Denver’s runoff election reaches nearly 30% at 5 p.m.
With two hours until the polls close Tuesday, voter turnout in Denver’s mayoral runoff had reached nearly 30%.
That’s 132,600 ballots returned, with all but about 10,000 processed by the Denver Elections Division.
The first round of results will be released shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m. They’ll be updated at 8:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Results will then be posted again Wednesday.
In the 2019 runoff, 41% of voters cast ballots out of the nearly 400,000 ballots mailed to registered voters. Turnout was 26% the day before the election that year. Nearly 61,000 of the almost 166,000 votes cast in the 2019 runoff came in on Election Day.
— Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun
Kelly Brough’s endorsement from the GOP turns off two Denver voters
Gina Valvo, 33, and Kristen Mickulesku, 34, walked with their dog Ruby to the polling place at Harvard Gulch Recreation Center on Tuesday to drop off their ballots. Both voted for former state Sen. Mike Johnston in the Denver mayoral race, but were disappointed at not having a more progressive option.
“I voted for Ean Tafoya the first time,” Valvo said, referencing the community activist who didn’t advance to the runoff Tuesday. “Honestly, I was just like ‘whatever, it’s not the other woman who is Republican endorsed.’”
The Denver County GOP endorsed Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in the mayoral race.
Valvo and Mickulesku, both artists, said helping people who are homeless is a top priority for them.
“To me that was a huge thing and knowing how Kelly Brough feels about a lot of that is a nightmare,” Mickulesku said.
— Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun
For a conservative Denver voter, Kelly Brough was “the lesser of the two evils”
Kristi Pohly, a 47-year-old Denver voter, said she’s conservative and decided to vote for former Denver Metro Chamber CEO Kelly Brough — “the lesser of the two evils.”
“It’s crazy how much this city has changed and I don’t think it’s for the better,” said Pohly, who was voting at the Harvard Gulch Recreation Center in south Denver. “It’s hard living here and not having a voice with a lot of the politics because it’s changed so much on the liberal side.”
— Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun
The view from one Denver voter: “I don’t think these are our best candidates”
Andrew Miller, 32, voted for former state Sen. Mike Johnston in the Denver mayoral runoff Tuesday but was disappointed in his two choices: Johnston and former Denver Metro Chamber CEO Kelly Brough.
He was hoping that a woman of color would be the next mayor.
“I don’t think these are our best candidates,” he said as he dropped off his ballot at the Harvard Gulch Recreation Center in south Denver. “For what we have, I’m voting for Mike Johnston. I think we are in a crisis around our unhoused community and the way we’re treating humans. I don’t feel confident that Kelly would prioritize the civil rights and humanity of people over finances.”
Miller, who works in health care, said he doesn’t support all of Johnston’s positions but sees him as the better option of the two candidates.
“I think next winter is going to be really terrible and we’re going to have more unhoused people die if we don’t take a stand to actually provide folks with housing,” he said.
— Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun
Super PACs pour cash into three Denver City Council contests
Outside spending groups, also known as super PACs, have poured nearly $1.3 million into the three Denver City Council runoffs being decided Tuesday.
Much of that spending is in the District 9 contest in north-central Denver between incumbent Candi CdeBaca and challenger Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board. Outside groups have spent more than $118,000 opposing CdeBaca during the runoff and more than $205,000 supporting Watson.
In the open District 8 seat in northeast Denver, super PACs have spent nearly $202,000 supporting Brad Revare, who leads Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit business coalition, and $69,000 supporting Shontel Lewis, a former member of the RTD board.
And in District 10 in central Denver, more than $247,000 has been spent to support incumbent City Councilman Chris Hinds, while $59,000 has been spent to oppose his challenger, Shannon Hoffman, a political newcomer whose background is in activism and nonprofits.
CdeBaca, Lewis and Hoffman are all supported by the Colorado Working Families Party. The three were also all endorsed by the Denver branch of the Democratic Socialists of America.
— Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun
Candidates in Denver’s three City Council runoffs raised $380,000 for Tuesday’s contest
Three Denver City Council seats are up for grabs in today’s runoff election. The six candidates across those races raised $1.4 million total, including $380,000 for the runoff.
Those numbers are through about 9 a.m. Tuesday. Candidates may report more large contributions received through Election Day.
Here’s a breakdown of the fundraising:
- District 9 in north-central Denver has been the most expensive contest, with $566,000 raised. Darrell Watson, a member of the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board, raised $327,000 of that, including $87,000 for the runoff. He’s challenging City Councilwoman Candi DdeBaca, who has raised $239,000, including $58,000 for the runoff.
- In District 10 in central Denver, $449,000 has been raised. City Councilman Chris Hinds faces a challenge from Shannon Hoffman, a political newcomer whose background is in activism and nonprofits. Hinds has raised $258,000, including $76,000 for the runoff. That compares with the $192,000 raised by Hoffman, including $48,000 for the runoff.
- District 8 in northeast Denver is an open seat. Nearly $405,000 has been raised for that contest, Brad Revare, who leads Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit business coalition, has raised nearly $239,000, with about $75,000 for the runoff. Shontel Lewis, a former member of the RTD board, has raised $166,000, about $36,000 of that for the runoff.
— Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun
Denver runoff election turnout was at roughly 25% through Monday
Turnout in Denver’s runoff election was at about 25% through Monday, with nearly 114,000 votes cast out of the almost 447,000 ballots mailed to registered voters in the city.
In the 2019 runoff, 41% of voters cast ballots out of the nearly 400,000 ballots mailed to registered voters. Turnout was 26% the day before the election that year. Nearly 61,000 of the almost 166,000 votes cast in the 2019 runoff came in on Election Day.
Denver election officials expect a surge of ballots to arrive today.
Only about 12,000 Republican voters in the city have returned ballots so far this year, compared with 60,000 from Democrats and close to 40,000 from unaffiliated voters.
Unaffiliated voters make up the largest share of registered voters in Denver, followed by Democrats and Republicans.
— Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun
Jamie Giellis on Denver’s mayoral race, how the city’s issues have changed and whether its residents are truly progressive
Jamie Giellis ran against Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in 2019, losing by 12 percentage points in that year’s runoff election. Now, she is the president of Centro Inc., an organization that offers consulting services for community revitalization projects, including in Longmont, Wheat Ridge, Estes Park and Lyons.
Giellis talked with The Colorado Sun about how her 2019 run compares with the one happening today, the issues facing the Mile High City and her opinions on the two candidates.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
The Colorado Sun: How does this election compare with yours in 2019?
Jamie Giellis: What I like about this election cycle is that while I don’t think the final candidates are terribly different in how they’re presenting some of their positions, there’s been the ability to really go deep into how to solve issues thoughtfully. Four years ago, with an incumbent in office, the campaign — it got personal. It got negative. And a lot of that overshadowed the conversation about the actual issues and how we address those. While there certainly has been a little bit of negativity in this race — there always is in politics — there’s been a lot more focus on trying to get to the heart of: “How do we actually solve these things?”
The Sun: How have the issues facing Denver changed since you ran for mayor?
Giellis: If you look back four years ago, the things we were talking about, certainly homelessness was right at the top of that list along with how the city developed out and affordable housing. But what we saw both from COVID and the post-George Floyd time in our city, and the economic changes that we’re facing — I think that they’ve exacerbated it. Our homeless situation is out of control. I think the safety and security piece is much more present and prevalent in this conversation than it was four years ago. I don’t know that we’ve made a lot of progress on any of the things that we talked about four years ago. And so it’s time for a new leadership to come in and say, “we have a completely new, we have a completely fresh perspective.” I think everybody in the city is ready for that.
The Sun: You mentioned that both candidates have similar stances on the top issues. What do you think that says about where Denver is politically?
Giellis: It’s really interesting to me that while we can be very progressive as a city, the progressive candidates in this race didn’t fare well. My take on that is that state politics have gotten a little bit more progressive. A lot of the policies at the state level — for example, around security and safety, housing and tax increases with the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment — some of them have hit Denver particularly hard. I think moderating that is the focus of Denver voters.
While Giellis didn’t publicly endorse either of the runoff candidates, she told The Colorado Sun she cast her ballot for former state Sen. Mike Johnston. She said she chose him because she believes he will bring a “completely fresh perspective.” Kelly Brough, Johnston’s opponent, was the CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for many years after serving as then-Mayor John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff and in other city roles.
“Kelly has served the city in a lot of different ways. No disrespect to her at all, but I think a lot of the people involved with her campaign are a lot of the same people that have supported Michael Hancock,” she said. “If you want change you have to give face to new voices.”
Giellis also said she thinks the election will be close but that Johnston enters Election Day as the favorite.
– Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun
(This interview with Giellis first ran in The Unaffiliated, our twice-a-week newsletter pulling back the curtain on Colorado politics and policy. Sign up here.)