The race for mayor in Denver is over – save for the final, official count.

Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston will face each other in a runoff election on June 6, based on unofficial results that show Lisa Calderón, in third place, failing to catch up despite a strong showing in the last few counts. 

The tally on Friday afternoon merely affirmed Thursday’s count, where the big question revolved around Calderón’s ability to overtake Brough’s lead. It didn’t happen.     

Fewer than 1,000 ballots – overseas votes and those that need curing – are left to be counted, election officials said.

The outcome isn’t surprising.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, Johnston received 24.44% of the vote, while Brough secured 20.03%. Calderón, on the other hand, got 18.21%

Brough and Johnston raised the most money in a field of 17 candidates and attracted millions of dollars in support from outside groups. The two have established ties to Denver’s political landscape. Many view them as hewing closer to the center of the political spectrum compared to their rivals in the mayoral race.

Brough served as U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff when he was mayor, and she had been a legislative analyst of all 13 current members of the Denver City Council. She has been an on-call snowplow driver at Stapleton Airport, head of human resources at the City of Denver, and president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Johnston worked as a teacher and principal before being elected to the first of his two terms representing northeast Denver in the Colorado Senate in 2009. He ran for governor in 2018, coming in third behind Gov. Jared Polis and Cary Kennedy in the Democratic primary that year.

Calderón conceded the race.

“This is obviously not the result we wanted, but we did more with less and proved that a truly progressive campaign, one unafraid to put forth ideas rooted in research like housing and housing-first solutions for our unhoused neighbors and those struggling to afford to work live in Denver,” she said.  

So did Debbie Ortega, the city’s at-large councilmember,

“The numbers are showing where Denver voters are at,” Ortega said on Twitter, thanking her supporters and her campaign team.

“The outcome is not what we anticipated, but it’s Okay.” 

Most candidates remaining in the 16 person field took part in the Denver Gazette’s Mayoral Forum today, March 22. During one segment, moderators asked candidates their approval for certain policy measures in a rapid fire round. Interestingly, only two candidates emphatically approve of the job Mayor Hancock is doing in office, while the vast majority disapprove or took issue with specific policies of Hancock’s administration.

Tom Hellauer
tom.hellauer@denvergazette.comTomHellauer
tom.hellauer@denvergazette.com
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