State Rep. Regina English is facing a young, ambitious Democratic activist in the primary election for House District 17.

The choice between English and Chauncy Johnson in District 17, representing the southern portion of Colorado Springs from the east side of downtown to the Colorado Springs Airport, is the only competitive Democratic legislative primary in El Paso County.

English was elected to the House in 2022 after serving on the board for Harrison School District 2. English said that she was proud of the bills she’d passed during her first two terms and wanted to build on their success by getting reelected.

“Every year you run again, you have to run it up a notch,” English said. “I’ve been more intentional in building strong coalitions and making sure people stay consistent and stay engaged in the legislative process.”

Johnson, 26, is a first-time candidate for the House but brings some political experience. Last April, he ran for the Colorado Springs City Council seat representing the southeast portion of the city. Johnson has also worked as a legislative intern for state Sen. Tony Exum and an aide for former Rep. Marc Snyder, who is now a senator.

“This is an opportunity for people to not just look at getting a Democrat in the House, but what type of Democrat do we want to lead for our future and our kids’ future?” Johnson said.

Each candidate said that the other was too divisive to build a coalition of other Democrats in the House.

Johnson pointed to endorsements from Kimberly Gold, who defeated him in the 2025 City Council election, and three state representatives as proof that he has become more willing to compromise and work with others.

English is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and six state legislators, including Exum.

English said one of her proudest achievements this session was a bill she worked on with Rep. Junie Joseph to improve maternal health care for Black mothers in Colorado. House Bill 1135 requires the Department of Public Health and Environment to report outcomes by race when women give birth and study why Black mothers and infants have higher mortality rates.

Both candidates said they are interested in health care access for the district. English said she’d like to build on the progress of HB 1135 by pushing to require more training for doctors and OB-GYNs. Johnson said one of his top priorities was to advocate for a hospital to open farther south and east of UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central.

English also cited the “cradle-to-career” grant program she helped sponsor in the House, which aims to provide local governments with funds to move children out of poverty. The program would provide educational, health and community programs and services for families.

Johnson’s platform includes a few bigger policy swings. Those include a pilot program to provide guaranteed income to new parents, gig workers and other select groups of struggling workers in Colorado.

“I believe we could do this in a few different ways, through smaller ballot measures or through taxation by raising the corporate taxes in specific sectors,” Johnson said.

English said that Johnson’s ambitious ideas, such as the guaranteed income program or creating a statewide public bank, would be financially impossible for the state. She also said that Johnson might not have the “mental capacity or bandwidth” to push those programs uphill as they run into opposition.

“Realistically speaking, what he says he’ll put on the table is not possible. But if you’re not paying attention as a voter, you just think they’re great ideas,” English said.

According to campaign filings with the Secretary of State’s Office, English has $10,000 on hand for her campaign. Johnson has $3,600 available in his campaign balance.

The primary winner will face Laura Martin, who is running unopposed on the Republican side, and Libertarian candidate John Angle.