With last year’s approval of new legislative redistricting lines in Colorado, many are predicting a heated race in the Nov. 8 midterm election between the two seasoned politicians squaring off for El Paso County’s Senate District 11.

The redrawn district leans Democratic 2.4% and is the most diverse district in Colorado Springs, at 49% white, 29% Hispanic and 10% Black, according to a Gazette analysis.

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Rivalries have intensified statewide, as Democrats try to maintain control of both the House and the Senate, and Republicans work to regain a majority in at least the Senate.

The contest between Sen. Dennis Hisey, a Republican who currently represents District 2 but now lives in the reconfigured SD 11, and Rep. Tony Exum Sr., a Democrat who currently represents District 17 in the House, likely will be tight, said Sen. Pete Lee, who has held the seat for SD 11 for this term.

“I view Senate District 11 as redrawn as more competitive than when I ran,” said Lee, a Democrat who is retiring after this year.

Lee, an attorney, has served four years in the Senate and previously spent eight years in the House.

Exum, a former fire battalion chief, also seeks to switch sides. Exum has been a representative from 2013 to 2015, then lost his seat but retook it in 2017, and now is making a bid for the Senate.

Republican Sen. Paul Lundeen of Monument, the minority whip, also expects competition.

“I think it’s going to come down to the wire,” he said. “These are well-known veteran legislators, who have both been in the community for a while.”

The pair also are facing Libertarian candidate Daryl Kuiper, a teacher and small-business owner.

Should he win the Senate seat, Exum says his top three priorities will remain the same as his focus in the House: “supporting public education, protecting the environment and helping low-income families, people of color and the elderly live better lives.”

Hisey says if he is reelected to the Senate, he will look at proposing legislation regarding due process and accountability for law enforcement at the request of local police chiefs and sheriffs; supporting transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges and tunnels; balancing affordable energy with clean air, pure water and healthy forests; and promoting a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

At a Pikes Peak United Way-sponsored political forum on Tuesday, Exum and Hisey listing their respective legislative achievements in front of a polite and silent crowd, with no debate or responses between candidates.

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Hisey emphasized the need to tackle Colorado Springs’ rising crime and cost of living as his top goals.

“We cannot continue down this path,” Hisey said. “Colorado is outpacing the national average in crime, in the cost of living. Being No. 1 in these categories is not something that has to be the new normal. Let’s bring some balance back to the Colorado Legislature.”

Hisey, a former El Paso County commissioner, said he wants to see more manufactured housing to add affordability to the market. He also thinks the state should rely more on faith-based organizations and other nonprofits to help with homelessness and mental health issues.

Exum said he’d like to expand affordable-housing tax credits, use a Housing First model to rehouse homeless people before addressing addiction, mental illness and other problems, and hold law enforcement accountable for malpractice to improve the relationship between police and communities.

“I’ve learned, during my service of the people of Colorado Springs, it takes hard work, a caring heart and dedication to helping people,” Exum said. “It’s been an honor to serve this community, and if the voters say so, maybe I’ll get a chance to do more.”

Kuiper described himself as representing new ideas and approaches. He’s calling for smaller government, more personal responsibility and equitable education. He also promotes neighborhoods working together to improve public safety, mental health and homelessness.

Hisey has raised $127,737 in campaign contributions, and Exum has raised $109,681, according to the latest campaign finance filings with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Kuiper’s file does not show any donations.

Among Hisey’s largest supporters are $5,350 from the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, $5,350 from the Colorado Apartment Association committee, $3,000 from the Homes for All Coloradans committee, $2,600 from Blue Line Advocates, $2,500 from Colorado Dairy Farmers committee and $2,000 from the Pikes Peak Firearms committee.

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Exum’s biggest donors include $5,000 from Colorado WINS, the state employees’ union; $5,000 from Public Educators Advocating for Kids (PEAK); $5,000 from SEIU Local 105 Committee for Working Families; $5,000 from Colorado American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations; $4,500 from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 58; $4,000 from Colorado Professional Firefighters; and $3,500 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Both Lee and Hisey have been accused of misrepresenting their place of residency as it pertains to voting, and both have said the claims are inaccurate.

The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said it is investigating the claims on Hisey, while Lee is facing charges, which he has said are on based on false information.

At least seven current lawmakers maintain properties outside of their districts, a Colorado Politics investigation shows.

The practice is not uncommon; legislators sometimes have multiple addresses tied to voter registration separate from their home addresses, often arising out of redistricting. But now some are being called on it, under what some say are vague laws.

Predictably, both fellow legislators expect victory for their party’s candidate.

“I appreciate Rep. Exum’s representation of his community while in the House and look forward to his continued representation in the Senate,” Lee said.

Hisey has a proven track record in championing and authoring legislation to make life more affordable and safer for Coloradans, Lundeen said.

“It’s clear that the common-sense leadership of Dennis Hisey is critically important to the future of Colorado,” he said.