Former state lawmaker Mike Johnston launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2018 race for Colorado governor on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

“The urgency and magnitude of challenges we face at this time in our history require big, bold ideas and the proven ability to get them done,” Johnston said in a news release. “Because at a time when the pace of change, automation and globalization are leaving too many behind, we need leadership that will define our future, rather than letting it define us.”

In his announcement, Johnston laid out the first plank in what he called a “Frontier Fairness” agenda.

“Colorado was built on a sense of ‘frontier fairness’,” he said. “That hard work under the right conditions leads to opportunity, that opportunity allows us to define our own future. It’s time to make real the sense of frontier fairness that will carry us through the next 150 years.”

Johnston, 42, is a small businessman, community leader and two term state Senator from Northeast Denver, where he focused on education reform.

“In generations past, education was our proxy for opportunity: if you got a degree at age 18 you were prepared for the economy of the next 50 years,” he said. “Today, a high school degree alone will not equip you for an economy of the next 50 days. This means we must create a workforce that is as nimble as our rapidly changing world, where people can upgrade and change their skills as our industries change overnight.”

Johnston proposed a “Lifetime Opportunity Promise” that he said will guarantee up to two years of debt-free college or career training to anyone willing to earn it by providing meaningful service to the state of Colorado.

Compass Colorado, a conservative political organization, wasted no time responding to Johnston’s announcement. The group pointed to his support of Amendment 66, an almost billion-dollar tax increase on the 2013 ballot that failed by an almost 2 to 1 margin.

Compass Colorado also noted Johnston did not outline how his administration would pay for his “Lifetime Opportunity Promise,” and called it a large-ticket budget item.

“Michael Johnston is clearly making an appeal to run on the far left of his party with Bernie Sanders-style promises,” said Kelly Maher, executive director of Compass Colorado. “I like a good illiterative, poll-tested slogan as much as the next gal, but I hope that ‘frontier fairness’ equates to more than just using government force to make Coloradans pay for more programs.”

Johnston grew up in Eagle County, the son of a bartender and music teacher. After college, Johnston moved to Greenville, Mississippi, where he was a teacher at a low-income high school. That experience motivated him to return to Colorado and work to ensure more children have access to a high quality education. He was founding principal of the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts serving at-risk and high-needs kids. Under Johnston’s leadership, 100 percent of the school’s seniors were admitted to four-year colleges.

Johnston was elected to the state Senate in 2009 and helped draft legislation creating the state’s teacher evaluation system. In his two terms, Johnston helped pass the Dream Act, ensuring undocumented students could get a fair shot at college; the CLEAR act, designed to stop racial discrimination in the criminal justice system; and JUMP START, to help grow new businesses in distressed rural counties.

Johnston planned to spend two days traveling Colorado, raising his recognition level through conversations with Coloradans about their vision for the state. He will visit Pueblo, Costilla County, Durango, Grand Junction, and Vail.

Names and more names could also run

Incumbent Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is term limited in 2018, and the contest to replace him is said to likely feature some of the most well-known politicians from both sides of the aisle.

Top possible Democratic candidates include former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Golden. Denver businessman Noel Ginsburg has already announced his candidacy for the party’s nomination, and other Democrats like state Sen. Michael Merrifield of Colorado Springs, former state treasurer Cary Kennedy and state Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton have also been mentioned as possible candidates.

Potential Republican candidates include Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler and state Treasurer Walker Stapleton. Other names are Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and state Sen. Ray Scott of Grand Junction.

Seven candidates have filed paperwork to run for governor in 2018: three Democrats, one Republican, another unaffiliated, and two candidates representing the Green and Unity parties.