In just over a year, Denver voters will cast their ballots to choose the Mile High City’s next mayor, as Michael Hancock finishes his third and last term.
The non-partisan election will come at a crucial time for Denver, as the city continues to grapple with the issues of homelessness, a lack of affordable housing, a tangled public transportation system and crime. The next mayor will also have to deal with the ramifications of the pandemic, particularly on downtown, where the number of office workers continues to be low, affecting restaurants, bars and other businesses.
The last time Denver saw a wide-open mayor’s race was in 2011, after John Hickenlooper left city hall before the end of his second term for a move to the governor’s office. That year, there were eleven candidates — including Hancock, then the president of Denver City Council.
So far, the only people to officially declare for the 2023 Denver mayoral campaign are perennial political candidate Marcus Giavanni and frequent Denver City Council public commenter Jesse Parris. But a search of reserved domain names hints at some of those who are seriously considering a run.
Representative Leslie Herod has been a force in the Colorado Legislature.
Erin McCarley
Leslie Herod
State representive Leslie Herod, a Democrat who helped secure the passage of SB-217, a landmark police-accountability bill, in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, is frequently mentioned as a mayoral candidate. If she does run, Herod, a member of the LGBTQ Caucus and the chair of the Colorado Black Caucus, can point to her work campaigning for Caring 4 Denver, a sales tax increase that Denver voters approved in 2018 that has sent money to help fund Denver’s co-responder program that pairs Denver cops with mental clinicians.
Herod has two domains registered in her name: lesliefordenver.com and herodfordenver.com.
But Herod won’t commit to a candidacy just yet. “I’m focused on the legislative session right now and fighting for affordable housing, mental health and substance abuse support, and our small businesses,” she says. “There’s more to be done to make Denver a great city for all, and we’ll continue these conversations after May.”
State Senator Chris Hansen has strong education chops.
colorado.gov
Chris Hansen
A state senator, Chris Hansen currently serves in powerful roles as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and vice-chair of the Joint Budget Committee. The Democrat was first elected to the Colorado House in 2016, then moved to the Colorado Senate in 2020.<…….
Source: https://www.westword.com/news/potential-candidates-gearing-up-for-2023-denver-mayoral-race-13573298
