The Democrat recruited by Assistant House Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, to run for his seat could be facing a crowded primary.

State Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Westminster, announced he wouldn’t be seeking a second term Feb. 26, and Moreno simultaneously stated he would run for Ulibarri’s Senate District 21 seat instead of seeking reelection representing House District 32. Moreno also said he would be endorsing attorney Adrienne Benavidez, who was Denver’s manager of General Services until earlier this year, to run for his seat.

Hold on a second, said a number of prominent Adams County Democrats, who convened a meeting Saturday with Moreno, Ulibarri and Benavidez to discuss whether other candidates might also jump in the race.

By the time precinct caucuses were looming a few days later, small business owner Maria Gonzalez, who lost a bid for a Commerce City Council seat last year by a narrow margin, had decided to run, while Adams County School District 50 Board Member Ken Ciancio and Young Democrats of America Vice President Danielle Glover had both decided to pass on a bid for the heavily Democratic seat.

Two other Democrats are also running for the seat. Economist Steve Zorn filed to run in the district a month ago, and Burke Beu, a former legislative analyst for the Association of Operating Room Nurses, made his run official on Wednesday. Republican Al Jacobson filed paperwork for the race last April but hasn’t reported any contributions or expenditures on campaign finance reports he’s filed since then.

Candidates who win the support of at least 30 percent of delegates to the Democratic House District 32 assembly will make the June 28 primary ballot. That meeting takes place during the Adams County Democratic Party Assembly on March 12 at Ranum Middle School in Westminster.

Moreno is so far unopposed in his bid for Ulibarri’s Senate seat.

“I knew eventually as Dominick progressed in his career that his seat was going to be the next step for me,” Gonzalez told The Colorado Statesman this week. “It just came sooner than what I was expecting.”

She said she was excited at the prospect of running for the seat but didn’t like the thought of Moreno anointing his own successor.

“I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is, it’s politics,” said Gonzalez. “I think we need to grow leadership within our grassroots community. If I was in his place, I would look in Commerce City leadership and mentor in our own community so we can progress community leadership.”

Gonzalez, runs a nonprofit, Adelante Community Development, set up to help small businesses navigate bureaucracy, and owns a small insurance agency, said she hopes voters will side with someone who has worked at the grassroots level in the community for years.

“I just met Adrienne and think she’s very well qualified, but I have a lot of passion,” she said.

Benevidez said Moreno and Ulibarri had contacted her in mid February when it looked like Ulibarri might be accepting a full-time, year-round position with the progressive organizing group Wellstone Action, which is what led to his decision against seeking another term in the Legislature.

“It came up rather quickly,” she said, pointing out that the nominating process was starting the first week of March with precinct caucuses. “They talked to me for a long time regarding it, and based on what they told me, my knowledge of the district and the needs of the constituency in the district, I think I’m well prepared to step into this role and, since I had their support, that’s what convinced me.”

Benavidez was previously director of finance and procurement for the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration before being appointed by incoming Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to run the Department of General Services, which handles purchasing and facilities management for the city, nearly five years ago.

She left that job at the end of January, telling The Denver Post she had been fired by Hancock in circumstances she considered “troubling,” but this week told The Statesman that she had moved on and had been considering what to do next when Moreno and Ulibarri approached her.

“We need continuing good representation in the district,” she said. “It’s always been an interest of mine and, you know, timing is everything.”

Benavidez said it came as no surprise that Gonzalez was interested in the race after her city council run last fall, and that the meeting with the other potential candidates had been fruitful.

“Quite frankly, the four of us, we talked about what we could bring to the table, and no one attempted to discourage anyone from running,” Benavidez said. “I think it’ll be a good race. I suspect we’ll both get on the ballot for the primary. Through the process of forums and talking to people, we’ll get our message out, and I’m confident the voters will make a good selection, and I’m hoping it will be me.”

Glover said in a Facebook post after the Saturday meeting that she was honored by the encouragement to run, “but I love my job and my volunteer work with the Democratic Party and may run at some future date, and would be honored to serve, but right now is not the right time for me personally.”

Ciancio, noting that he had only recently been elected to the school board, likewise posted his decision to Facebook. “I believe it is in my best interest and the interests of those who elected me to continue in this position,” adding that he also hoped to run for something else in the future.

Moreno, for his part, welcomed the candidates to the primary.

“We’re fortunate to have so many qualified candidates running for House District 32,” Moreno told The Statesman. “Now it’s up to the voters of Adams County to decide who will represent them best.”

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com