With Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver, locked out of running again for central Denver’s Democratic stronghold of House District 8 due to term-limits, the upcoming June 28 primary could decide the area’s representative for the next eight years.

Given the fact that McCann has averaged about 80 percent of the vote against Republican challengers, in the years she had GOP contenders, whoever emerges victorious between Democrats Leslie Herod and Aaron Goldhamer in the primary could be set for a long run at the Capitol.

Both candidates for HD 8 took part in a June 8 debate in Denver, touting their progressive credentials and trying to woo the solidly liberal base.

Much of the debate centered around the 2016 legislative session and failure to act on issues such as affordable housing and the failure to enterprise the state’s hospital provider fee, which would have saved millions against the state’s TABOR cap. Given the lack of daylight between the two candidates’ positions – it would be easier to find a Democrat who supports Trump then it would be to find one opposed to enterprising the provider fee – Democratic primary voters in HD 8 are left to make their decisions based on personality, experience and background.

Goldhamer, a lawyer in Denver since 2009 and a Democratic party captain in HD 8, made the argument his focus on representing victims of fraud and his pro-bono work for progressive causes showed his commitment to the community. He compared his record to Herod’s and dinged her for taking special interest money for her campaign.

“I have received $50 in special interest money. I took $50 from the mental health professional PAC, and I don’t think it will unduly influence too much of my decision making,” Goldhamer said during the debate. “You can take a look at both sides of this race as far as the fundraising and the independent expenditures. There’s been a lot of outside money in this race.”

Herod has received money from groups such as the Colorado Association of Homebuilders.

“I wish he would have taken my positive campaign pledge, that would have been nice,” Herod said. “He put out an email saying I was taking independent expenditure money. He knows good and well I can’t take that money, I’m not taking any money from independent expenditures. I’m very proud that about 11 percent of my funding is out of state.”

Herod added, “I’m also not able to self-fund at about $40,000. Trial lawyers are also not bundling for me. So I just want him to be honest about this conversation.”

Herod, a former policy analyst for Gov. Bill Ritter that “has worked on every floor of the Capitol,” touted her own record of mentoring school children and working with nonprofit groups to help leverage resources in the community.

When not taking shots about self-funding campaigns and outside money, Herod and Goldhamer tried to illustrate the liberal policies they’d both push at the state Capitol. Goldhamer said he wanted to work to increase employee ownership of companies across the state and Herod talked about increasing union participation in the state.

McCann, an attorney, has not endorsed either candidate in the race to replace her. She is taking her term-limits in political stride, now running in a three-way primary race for Denver District Attorney against Michael Carrigan and Kenneth Boyd.