Denver City Council Getting a Major Overhaul

Once the winners of the 2023 municipal election are sworn in this July, Denver City Council will look a whole lot different.

As many as seven new members could end up joining the thirteen-member legislative body.

In the latest election returns, two incumbent councilmembers — Candi CdeBaca of District 9 and Chris Hinds of District 10 — appear headed to runoff elections on June 6. That's because neither candidate looks set to secure more than 50 percent of the vote.

CdeBaca, who had garnered 43.95 percent of the vote as of 5 p.m. April 5, is barely ahead of Darrell Watson, who had 43.56 percent of the vote at that time. Kwon Atlas, the third competitor in the race, had 12.01 percent.

If the percentages hold, CdeBaca and Watson — the co-founder of a boutique consulting firm — will face off in the June runoff.

That race could end up having major implications, as CdeBaca has been the most left-leaning member of council by far since taking office after she ousted incumbent Albus Brooks in 2019. Watson is much more to the center politically.

In District 10, Hinds — who similarly ousted an incumbent, Wayne New, in a runoff election in 2019 — has two strong challengers. As of 5 p.m. on April 5, Hinds had 36.3 percent of the vote, while Noah Kaplan, a teacher who until recently directed East High School's speech and debate program, is at 25.53 percent, falling just behind Shannon Hoffman has 26.17 percent of the vote. Margie Morris is in fourth with 12 percent.

The District 9 and 10 elections are especially important, since those districts cover much of downtown Denver and adjacent urban sections of the Mile High City, where homelessness and housing affordability are particularly significant issues.

Aside from those two elections featuring incumbents that look destined for runoff races, five other council seats being vacated by current members are up for grabs.

In District 4 — which includes far southeast Denver — Kendra Black decided to hang up her political cleats rather than run for a third and final term. That left Tony Pigford and Diana Romero Campbell facing off against one another; Romero Campbell is leading with 56.54 percent of the vote.

In District 7, an area that juts down below downtown, Jolon Clark also opted against running for a third and final term in office, leaving that seat open. Five competitors ran in the April 4 race, with Flor Alvidrez garnering a heavy lead with 38.51 percent of the vote as of the latest returns on April 4. She'll likely be in a runoff, though who she'll face is undetermined. Right now the competition for that coveted second spot is up for grabs between Adam Estroff, who has 18.6 percent of the vote; Nick Campion, who has 18.18 percent; and Guy Padgett, sitting in third with 16.83 percent. Arthur May is lagging behind with 7.88 percent of the vote.

District 8, which features Northeast Park Hill and east toward the center of Montbello, is also a wide-open race as the incumbent, Councilman Chris Herndon, was term-limited following a twelve-year stint. The race for his seat looks set for a runoff between Brad Revare, who has 34.47 percent of the vote, and Shontel Lewis, who has 34.7 percent.

The two at-large members of Denver City Council — Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega — are also term-limited and could not run for reelection. Ortega made a run for mayor, but so far she's collected under 5 percent of the vote.

Unlike other municipal races, which require a runoff when candidates don't get to more than 50 percent of the vote, the two open at-large seats will be won by the two top vote-getters in the April 4 election.

Right now, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrrez — a Colorado state representative from Denver — has the most votes with 18.77 percent, while Penfield Tate, a former state legislator and past mayoral candidate, is in second place with 16.27 percent. But Sarah Parady is moving up, with 16.01 percent, while Travis Leiker has fallen to fourth, at 15.73 percent.

A few incumbent councilmembers who faced opponents appear set to avoid runoff elections. Kevin Flynn, the councilmember for southwest Denver in District 2, has 74.59 percent of the vote, while the remaining vote is split between two opponents: Tiffany Caudill and Chris Herr.

Amanda Sandoval, the councilmember for northwest Denver in District 1, is beating opponent Ava Truckey, 82.49 percent to 17.51 percent. And Amanda Sawyer, the incumbent candidate in District 5, which includes the east section of central Denver, is beating her opponent, Michael Hughes, 64.94 percent to 35.06 percent.

Incumbents Jamie Torres of District 3, Paul Kashmann of District 6 and Stacie Gilmore of District 11, meanwhile, are all running unopposed and have had a relaxing election season.

More results are coming at 5 p.m.; more than 50,000 votes have yet to be counted.

This story has been updated with the results released at 2 p.m.