With Sen. Pat Steadman reaching term limits in the state Senate after last legislative session, Senate District 31 is set to elect a new face for the first time in 8 years this November.

Given the strong hold the Democrats have over SD 31, it’s worth paying attention to the three Democrats vying to replace Steadman in the state Capitol. Given the political landscape in SD 31, the winner of the primary is most likely to secure a win in the November general election as well, short some sort of real upheaval.

The contenders

So who are those brave Democratic souls who have stepped forward to battle it out in the Senate District 31 primary ring? Rep. Lois Court, who is herself is term limited out of her seat after serving 8 years in the House; Steve Sherick, a medical doctor, business owner and a well-connected Democratic party member and Erin Bennett; the former state director of progressive organization 9to5 and visionary who wants to go from lobbying the Senate for liberal causes to voting in the body are the three Democratic contenders in the race.

Each candidate is staking out their own places on the roadmap to victory. For Court, her political experience both in and out of the state Legislature is her calling card. Sherick frames his run for Senate as giving voters a chance to elect a fresh Democratic voice that has experience both in small business and on medical issues. Bennett considers herself an alternative opportunity for people in her district to vote for a real progressive voice in an election year where Clinton-alternative Bernie Sanders won the hearts and minds of Colorado’s Democrats.

The Statesman went out with all three candidates as they pounded the pavement, knocked on doors and tried to uncover any remaining undecided Democratic voters to sway to their side.

Rep. Lois Court

When Court walks through SD 31, name recognition isn’t an issue for her, but getting voters to realize she’s simply trying to move from the House to the Senate is another story.

“I’m telling them I’m serving them already and I just want to walk down the hallway and keep serving them,” Court said while walking the district with the Statesman on May 28 …

Court’s life in the public sector started in Denver Mayor Wellington Webb’s administration, and she hasn’t stopped since, working on both sides of the glass in the state Legislature for over a decade. And her work in public service has helped her gather endorsements from some big names in the Democratic Party. Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Governor Bill Ritter, and Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Gunbarrel, to name a few, have all thrown their backing behind Court.

She considers that lifetime of public service and experience to be her best case for replacing Steadman, an appeal she’s happy to make when a constituent brings up any number of issues, especially the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

“There is no reason to do this except to serve. I can promise the moon. I can say my goal is to do this, my goal is to do that. Anyone can do that. In the long run, serving means listening and acting to the best of your ability to do what the people send you to do,” Court said. “I know that every year I’m helping to make some good policy. Do I do everything I want to do every year? Not even maybe. Why would I still run, why would I want to serve if I didn’t think there was work to still be done? And I have the experience and expertise to help move it forward.”

Even in a year where establishment might be considered a dirty word, Court is happy to extol the work she’s done in education and being part of the lawsuit to have TABOR tossed out on constitutional grounds.

“That’s one of the things I like best about the job is helping people understand Democracy is not a spectator sport. You have to get out there and participate. But that’s one of the things I like about walking, is I’m talking with people who are most likely to vote and helping them understand what their choices are, what the process is. It’s a sort of roving classroom for me,” Court said. “It really is a roving classroom. It’s a give and take. This is what I’m offering, this is what you’re asking for, where can we make a match.”

Dr. Steve Sherick

Sherick hosted an impromptu stump speech on May 28 at his house. It started as a simple question and answer session with volunteers before they canvassed, but it led to Sherick talking about the liberal values he extols in both politics and in business.

While he’s a newcomer to running for public office, Sherick isn’t a newbie to Democratic politics. He said he called up Court – whom he knows personally and has continued to praise for her work in the House – when he decided to run for SD 31 to let her know first hand he was challenging her.

For a first time candidate, he’s packed a few surprise punches. Sherick received the endorsement of the Senate seat’s incumbent, Steadman, along with those of Reps. Alec Garnett, D-Denver, and Paul Rosenthal, D-Denver. Sherick said he didn’t waste any time seizing on the recognition Steadman’s endorsement would provide his first time campaign

“Our strategy from the get go was to go out there and get on the doors as quick as possible. Because we’re running against someone who is a known quantity, is due respect because of her known quantity,” Sherick said. “When Steadman came out and endorsed us, that was huge. Because his reputation, his legacy – and I’ve talked a lot about legacy in this campaign – is thoughtfulness and collaboration. Even though he is a progressive guy himself, he can sit down with (Sen. Kevin) Lundberg, with any of those guys and gals on the other side of the aisle, and respectfully disagree with them and come up with a deal.”

Sherick has a diverse background, listing both emergency medical doctor and former professional snowboarder on his resume. While being a snowboarder could probably win some votes in Denver, Sherick spends most of his time talking about his business, Innova Emergency Medical Associates, and his commitment to walking the walk when it comes to his liberal ideology.

Sherick said it’s easy for opponents to characterize him as just a straight, white male business owner that wants to be a politician in a district that has a history of LGBT representation. But he points to how he runs his business and the causes he’s been a part of, as proof that isn’t the case.

“I W-2 everyone who works for me. I pay everyone a livable wage that works for me. And living through starting a business where I saw many, many tax regulations slanted away from me doing that, literally it disincentivizing me taking care of my employees,” Sherick said. “When I talk to (unions), and I run through this, they are like holy crap. This guy is not who we thought he was going to be.”

Erin Bennett

Bennett is no stranger to running a grassroots campaign. The former state director of the progressive group 9to5, said much of her campaign is being staffed by the same volunteers who helped knock on doors for issues like increasing the minimum wage and affordable housing.

“The biggest source of volunteers are people who I’ve spent my career with, people who work in the social justice community,” Bennett said when the Statesman walked the district with her on May 29. “Some of our best progressive champions are in the metro region, in Jeffco, in Adams County. Now to have someone standing up for labor, standing up for working families, a real progressive champion running in the middle of Denver, where so many people I’ve spent my career working with live, a lot of them live in my district and are excited to have a candidate they believe in.”

In a crowded Democratic field, Bennett has staked her chances on voters wanting their next senator to be someone who applies pressure on the party to keep to the left on many issues. Her goal is a reason it’s no surprise to see “dog house Democrats” like Reps. Jovan Melton, D-Denver, and Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, along with now former Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Commerce City, throwing their support behind Bennett.

A renter in Denver, Bennett sees herself as being connected with the issue facing not only millennial residents but those who are close to retirement.

“I have unique understanding of what it’s like to be a renter as well as my community, my friends that are also renters. It allows me to make that connection with voters who are renting and also people who have kids who are renting and can’t find affordable rent,” Bennett said. “People who know if something happened to them and they couldn’t live in their home anymore, that they’d never be able to continue living in that neighborhood they bought their house in.”

Bennett said her time lobbying in the Legislature on issues for 9to5 has not only given her the experience to understand the process and be an effective lawmaker from Day 1, she’s also seen Democrats not stand fast on issues they should be championing.

“I’ve spent a lot of time pushing candidates to embrace working families issues, especially Democrats. We really want it to be a big pillar in the Democratic party,” Bennett said. “I want to keep that work going from within the Senate and continue the strong LGBT legacy Senate District 31 has in the Legislature.”

As the Democratic primary race to replace Capitol fixture Sen. Pat Steadman accelerates toward the June 28 finish line, political wonks will continue to monitor this must-watch state legislative race, one that – in an unprecedented year for politics – could surprise us all.