Where Denver City Council Races Stand As Election-Day Ballots Are Counted; Runoffs Loom

By Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline

April 5, 2023

A handful of progressive challengers for seats on the Denver City Council appeared to fall short in early election results, while runoffs loomed in other races and a contest for two at-large seats could come down to razor-thin margins.

"State Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez led a field of nine City Council at-large candidates with 18.8% of the vote as of 2 p.m. Wednesday," according to unofficial results from the Denver Elections Division. The two at-large candidates with the most votes will be elected to a spot on the 13-member council.

Former state Sen. Penfield Tate, progressive attorney Sarah Parady and nonprofit advisor Travis Leiker were locked in a close battle for second place. Fewer than 1,000 votes separated the three candidates, with more than 50,000 ballots remaining to be counted.

Most of those ballots represent a last-minute surge in ballot returns late on Election Day. "About 38% of registered Denver voters turned out Tuesday in the city’s first municipal election in four years," officials said Wednesday.

In at least four City Council races, no candidate appeared on track to receive more than 50% of the vote, setting up head-to-head contests between the top two candidates in the city’s June 6 runoff election.

In addition to City Council seats, incumbent Auditor Tim O’Brien held off a challenge from Erik Clarke, capturing 60.6% of the vote to Clarke’s 39.4%. Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez ran unopposed and secured a second term.

District 1

Council member Amanda Sandoval won 82% of the vote to win reelection against challenger Ava Truckey. Sandoval was first elected to her seat in 2019.

District 2

Council member Kevin Flynn, who has represented his southwest Denver district since 2015, appeared to easily secure a third term, capturing 74.6% of the vote against challengers Tiffany Caudill and Chris Herr.

District 3

Council President Jamie Torres ran unopposed for reelection. She was first elected in 2019.

District 4

In a two-way race to succeed outgoing Council member Kendra Black, Diana Romero Campbell, president of education nonprofit Scholars Unlimited, had received 56.5% of the 10,567 votes counted as of Wednesday afternoon. Progressive educator Tony Pigford trailed with 43.5% of the vote.

District 5

Council member Amanda Sawyer, who was first elected in 2019, led challenger Michael Hughes 64.9% to 35.1% in her bid to secure reelection.

District 6

Council member Paul Kashmann ran unopposed for a third term.

District 7

Small business owner Flor Alvidrez led the race to succeed departing Council member Jolon Clark with 38.5% of the vote as of Wednesday afternoon but appeared likely to face a runoff. Just 180 votes separated former YIMBY Denver president Adam Estroff, software CEO Nick Campion and nonprofit news executive Guy Padgett in the battle for second place.

District 8

The race to succeed term-limited Council member Chris Herndon appears likely headed to a runoff between nonprofit leader Brad Revare and former RTD director Shontel Lewis, who were battling for first place in the five-way District 8 race with 34.7% and 33.8% of the vote, respectively.

District 9

Progressive Council member Candi CdeBaca, who was first elected in 2019 in an upset against then-Council President Albus Brooks, narrowly trailed challenger Darrell Watson, setting up a potential runoff. Watson had won just under 45% of the vote with 10,931 ballots reported, with CdeBaca at 42.9% and Kwon Atlas at 12.1%.

District 10

Incumbent Council member Chris Hinds appeared headed for a runoff in his quest to win a second term, winning just under 38% of the vote with more than 11,500 ballots counted. Educator Noah Kaplan and community organizer Shannon Hoffman were battling for second place and a runoff spot, with 25.6% and 23.8% of the vote, respectively.

District 11

Council member Stacie Gilmore ran unopposed for a third term.

Democracy functions only when people have access to reliable information about government and society. Colorado Newsline’s mission is to be a trusted source of such information. Newsline is nonprofit, nonpartisan and independent, and it provides fair and accurate reporting on politics, policy and other stories of interest to Colorado readers.