In one of the more surprising outcomes of Tuesday’s election in Denver, incumbent Candi CdeBaca found herself fighting for her political career in District 9 following a tight race that will mean a runoff in June.

CdeBaca trailed in the initial count but began to lead her two opponents in the last few tallies. 

Friday’s 1 p.m. tally confirmed her lead, 44.23% to 42.95%, against challenger Darrell Watson. The two are separated by 215 votes. 

A third candidate, Kwon Atlas, secured 12.82% of the vote.

The race was in a near tie on Thursday morning, with CdeBaca holding at 43.95% of votes counted, while Watson’s tally stood at 43.56%.

But by the 2 p.m. Thursday drop by the Clerk and Recorder, CdeBaca improved her standing with 44.2% of the vote compared to Watson’s 43%. Atlas, garnered 12.8% of the vote.

If a city council district candidate does not earn a majority of the vote on election day, the top two candidates head to a runoff, which will be June 6.

In the city’s at-large race, Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez easily captured the seat at 20.59% of the vote. So did, Sarah Parady, who secured 16.61%. 

Penfield Tate, a former legislator, trailed in third place at 15.6%.   

In Denver’s at-large council race, candidates must only finish in the top two spots to win, as there are no runoffs for the two open seats on the council.

In District 9, CdeBaca had celebrated Thursday’s update on social media, one she had predicted on election day. She had trailed Watson by roughly 3 percentage points as of the first drop of ballots on Tuesday, a margin that moved little during election night reporting.

The councilmember could not be reached for comment on Thursday but spoke to a room of supporters at her Tuesday watch party with confidence about what the coming ballot drops would hold for her campaign.

“Our people are going to come for us. They’ve got our back. They’re busy, they’re working, and that’s why we’re fighting. But they’re showing up today,” she had said.

Her campaign added she is ready to “build power in our cities, to build a movement that is strategic.”

The councilmember is known as Denver’s most progressive councilmember whose campaign priorities span from addressing housing to taking a public health approach – rather than via criminal lenses – to safety. She has touted her work pushing Denver to divest from halfway houses run by private prison companies and her co-sponsorship of ordinances she says strengthen worker protections.

CdeBaca has previously sought to replace the Denver Police Department with a “peace force.”

But voters are watching CdeBaca’s track record working with other city leadership, too, Watson told The Denver Gazette.

“This election is a referendum on the current city councilmember,” he said.

Watson, who has run for city council before, bills himself as a problem solver who will work with the community, councilmembers and elected leaders. He vows to fight for District 9 residents “who can’t wait another election cycle to see progress,” his website says. “District 9 can no longer wait for solutions while our elected officials tweet their way to failed legislation or disengage from the process when it doesn’t go their way,” his website says.

Watson said his priorities include social equity, housing, homelessness, public safety, economy, transportation and the climate, but housing is his number one priority, he said.

“It is clear that District 9 is ready to elect a councilperson who is focused on progress, not division,” Watson said.