State Rep. Paul Rosenthal, the Denver Democrat hit with an allegation of sexual harassment that was dismissed earlier this month, is facing primary challenges from two Democrats in the southeast Denver House District 9 seat he’s represented for three terms – social worker and educator Emily Sirota and veteran policy advocate Ashley Wheeland.

“It’s time to clean house,” said Sirota in a statement Friday announcing her run.

In addition to criticizing Rosenthal’s votes on key legislation, Sirota said she was also spurred by accusations of sexual misconduct against Rosenthal, who has steadfastly maintained he’s “innocent of any wrongdoing.”

“For too long, politics has been overrun by special interests and plagued by ugly abuses of power. But we do not have to accept this status quo,” Sirota said. “Right now, Colorado’s economy is booming – but we are not ensuring that this unprecedented growth is benefiting working families. Many in Southeast Denver are struggling to afford basic necessities such as healthcare, housing, college, and retirement – and we deserve a representative who will fight for this community.”

Wheeland filed to run for the seat Thursday and announced her bid in a Facebook post, “[s]ince the cat’s out of the bag.”

“I have dedicated my life to public service through policy change, and doing this as a legislator would be an honor and a dream. My goals will be to listen to all of our communities, to learn, to take their voices to the Capitol and to fight for policies that help all Coloradans and families. I believe now is my time, and that I cannot wait to run any longer,” she wrote.

Rosenthal said in a statement he welcomed the challenges.

“Despite Donald Trump, we still have a vibrant democracy. Especially nowadays we need to encourage political participation, and I am always excited when people make the decision to enter a life of public service, even if it is someone running against me.”

Sirota’s husband, journalist and former radio talk show host David Sirota, previewed the race with a jab at a couple of Rosenthal’s votes that split from his caucus.

“This will be tough on our family, but I’m proud of Emily for taking on an incumbent who’s been engulfed in a harassment scandal & who cast deciding votes to kill Dem bills protecting the homeless & protecting communities from fracking,” he wrote in a tweet.

At the beginning of January, House leadership dismissed a formal complaint filed against Rosenthal by Democratic organizer Thomas Cavaness, who accused Rosenthal of groping him at a campaign event in 2012, saying the allegation occurred before Rosenthal was elected and was outside the scope of the General Assembly’s workplace harassment policy.

Rosenthal, who has strongly denied the allegations, declared he’d been cleared of any wrongdoing, but Cavaness challenged a characterization that the lawmaker had been vindicated.

“These matters are officially closed,” Rosenthal said in a statement after the decision was announced. “As I’ve maintained all along, I am innocent of any wrongdoing. I’m incredibly appreciative of the support I’ve received from the community, and I look forward to a productive and successful 2018 legislative session serving the people of Colorado.”

“Elected officials should be held to a higher standard and it shouldn’t matter if they’re on the clock, off the clock or whatnot, the need to be held above reproach,” Cavaness told Colorado Politics. “This is not over,” he wrote in a Facebook post linking to an article about the case.

Sirota, who lost a race for a Denver Public Schools board seat in 2011, is director of admissions and operations at Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Center. She worked in the past for the Colorado Progressive Coalition and was a policy aide for Brian Schweitzer when the Democrat was governor of Montana.

Wheeland has worked for the American Lung Association in Colorado, the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, One Colorado and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

Rosenthal has won election to the Democratic-leaning seat three times with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Colorado’s primary election is June 26.