Rep. Tim Hernandez, D-Denver, effectively blamed the “system” in his primary election loss, rather than his campaign’s own failures or his actions that made him among the most controversial legislators at the state Capitol soon after his appointment to his seat. 

In a lengthy statement to his supporters on X the day after losing the primary election to Cecelia Espenoza, a former counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice, Hernandez said he has “no illusions about what we are up against, and it’s far bigger than one opponent in one political race.”

“It’s a system that will spend whatever it has to, do whatever it has to, to maintain a vice grip over the resources that should rightfully be shared for the benefit of all,” he wrote. “It’s not our opponents, but those who stand behind those opponents, who want to ensure we never have healthcare for all, housing for all, justice for all, liberation for all.”

Hernandez also said he’s “not going anywhere.”

“This is my community, and they cannot and will not stop what we are organizing and building towards, together.”

Hernandez immediately drew criticism and faced a backlash last year for attending a rally advertised to be “in support of Palestinian resistance in Gaza” hours after the Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people, kidnapping 250 and sparking a war.

A flyer for the event read, “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.” That was a reference to territories captured and occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The area has been under Hamas control since 2007.

Hernández later apologized for attending the rally. 

While he apologized for his action in October, Hernandez is among the staunchest supporters of pro-Palestinian activists. In November, when pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a House session, several lawmakers, including Hernandez, cheered them. Hernandez said in a post on X that he is “standing in strong solidarity with Coloradans who bravely stood up and disrupted our job this morning calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza. Over a majority of Americans now support a Ceasefire. I urge my colleagues to listen.” 

He also attended a pro-Palestinian protest at the Auraria Campus in Denver several months ago.

Hernandez, 27, who is a teacher, lost the election by 12 points, with Espenoza receiving 54% of the vote to his 46%. The two had previously competed in a 2023 vacancy election to fill the seat of former Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, who was elected to Denver City Council. Hernandez was ultimately selected by the vacancy committee and assumed office last September.

During his time at the Capitol, Hernandez advocated for progressive policies, including an “assault weapons” ban, which ultimately died in the Senate.

His close colleague, Rep. Elisabeth Epps, D-Denver, was also unseated in the June 25 primary, losing to attorney Sean Camacho 61% to 39%.

Epps and Hernandez were considered two of the most progressive legislators at the state Capitol over the last two sessions. 

“HD6 your state rep loves you,” Epps posted to her X page the day after the election. “I’m grateful, honored, proud of us, and now, I am so very relieved. I’m optimistic, too. With monied interests owning the Capitol, it’s astounding we ever get anything done for real people. And yet, we do. From Denver to Palestine, on we press.”