Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston will face off in a debate on Thursday, offering voters another opportunity to hear directly from the two candidates seeking the mayor’s seat in Denver’s runoff election in June as mail-in ballots go out this week.     

The debate is hosted by the Denver Gazette and the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy and the Center on American Politics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at The University of Denver, in partnership with Biennial of the Americas.  

The debate is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in Davis Auditorium in Sturm Hall on the DU campus at 2000 E. Asbury Ave. Doors will open to the general public shortly after 5 p.m.

There’s still time to register and secure a seat by clicking here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/denver-mayoral-run-off-debate-tickets-623812268287.

Voters can also leave a question for moderators after registering. Paid parking will be available at the Evans garage and at the law school. Recorded video of the debate will be available after the event on denvergazette.com and coloradopolitics.com.

Luige Del Puerto, editor of the Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics, and Dr. Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at The University of Denver, will moderate the debate.

Brough and Johnston hope to succeed outgoing Mayor Michael Hancock, who faces term limits after holding office for 12 years. The two earned the top spots in the April 4 municipal election, but neither received more than 50% of the vote to immediately secure the mayor’s seat.   

Brough, who served as then-Mayor John Hickenlooper as chief of staff, often points to experiences she says have prepared her precisely for this moment, noting she achieved a lot of “firsts” – first on-call female snowplow driver at Stapleton Airport, first female head of human resources at the City of Denver, first female president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Brough also said her track record of getting things done collaboratively makes her “uniquely qualified” for the job of Denver mayor. She’s worked across city government, she noted, having served all 13 members of the city council and later run the city’s human resources department.

Johnston, 48, said his work as an educator is among the experiences that planted the seeds that have driven him to a career in public service, including multiple runs for office, and that his collaborative approach to policymaking makes him he’s qualified to succeed Hancock.

After working on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign as an advisor on education issues, Johnston was appointed by a vacancy committee to fill a state Senate seat in Northeast Denver. At the State Capitol, he worked with other lawmakers to introduce and ultimately pass legislation to allow immigrant students who lacked sufficient documentation to qualify for in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities.

Masket said the upcoming election is a “highly consequential” election that will have a “substantial impact on life in the city for many years to come.” 

“It’s been 12 years since our last mayoral election with no incumbent running, and the city has changed and grown massively since then. Interest in the election – from Denver voters, our students, and the broader DU community – is great, and we’re excited to be a part of bringing this event to campus,” he added.

Vince Bzdek, executive editor of the Gazette newspapers, said the debate will allow voters to sift through the candidates’ solutions to Denver’s most pressing problems.

“Denver has major challenges, and we hope to hear from the candidates how they intend to solve these major issues,” Bzdek said.