Former state Sen. Paula Sandoval endorsed Democrat Levi Tillemann in the 6th Congressional District primary Monday, calling the author and former Obama administration official “arguably the only candidate who understands the complex ethnic and demographic tapestry of Colorado.”

Tillemann is one of three Democrats running for the seat held by five-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, an Aurora Republican.

Sandoval, a North Denver mainstay who founded neighborhood landmark Tamales by La Casita with her late husband, former state Sen. Paul Sandoval, said Tillemann’s background and experience mean he’s “equally at home strategizing with venture capitalists and high-level government officials as he is working with the diverse ethnic groups that comprise the 6th Congressional District.”

Sandoval noted that Tillemann is fluent in Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Japanese, calling his language ability “of critical importance in a district where almost 100,000 residents speak Spanish at home.”

She also said she’ll be heading the Tillemann campaign’s Diversity Council.

While she’s been a tamale purveyor for decades, Sandoval said the first time she tasted Ethiopian food was at Tillemann’s campaign kick-off in July at Megenagna restaurant in Aurora, where she also met and talked with Ethiopian activists. “Levi reaches out to all members in the community to understand issues important to them,” she said in a statement. “He understands that diversity is not a garnish, it is not peripheral, it is fundamental to who we are as Americans and to CD-6.”

Sandoval pointed to Tillemann’s work with emerging technologies as another reason she was supporting him:

Levi is an entrepreneur who knows what it means to run a business. He understands how technology is changing our world and our economy. As automation and artificial intelligence transform our lives, he will provide the leadership needed to help citizens understand how to integrate new technology into our daily lives. He will take on issues such as predatory lending that have caught people of color and the proud members of our military in a never-ending cycle of financial debt. There are so many more difficult issues facing the constituencies that comprise the 6th Congressional District and I feel confident that Levi has the spirit and fortitude to tackle them.

Finally, Levi is the only candidate in the 6th with a record of government leadership and service as he worked with the Obama administration to build a better future through a clean energy revolution that already provides 20,000 jobs in Colorado.

Tillemann had high praise for Sandoval, a longtime family friend.

“No one knows the challenges and opportunities facing Colorado’s Latino community better than Paula Sandoval,” Tillemann said in a statement. “She recognizes that Democrats need a new economic vision and a strategy to reclaim our democracy. That’s why I’m running for Congress, and why I’m immensely proud to have her endorsement.”

The other Democrats running for Coffman’s seat are attorneys Jason Crow, a decorated Army Ranger veteran, and David Aarestad, a one-time candidate for the Cherry Creek School Board. Next year’s primary is scheduled for June 26.