Colorado Legislative Strategies Updates 6.7.23

6/7/2023

COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

Denver Election Results &
Governor Bill Signing/Vetoes

June 7, 2023

Introduction

Even with the legislature out of session there have been some big things going on. First and foremost are the Denver Nuggets making it to the NBA Finals! Tonight is a pivotal Game 3 with the series tied 1-1 and the Nuggets coming off their first loss since before the session even ended (which was Sunday, May 7 in Game 4 with the Suns if you can believe that).

The other big things going on are of course the Denver runoff election and the Governor signing bills, signing bills with signing statements, and vetoing bills. The Denver runoff election concluded yesterday (votes are still being counted) and today is the last day for the Governor to take action on bills. So let’s get you caught up on all the important political and legislative news.

Denver Election Results

The results are in and it was a resounding success for Mike Johnston and a failure for the more progressive city council candidates. Similar to Denver’s initial election in April, which decided several council seats and determined the candidates for the runoff election, Denver is seeing a growing trend in tension between Democrats and far-left progressive candidates.

Top takeaways include that money matters in politics. Johnston brought in a lot more money than Brough and in the end it was decisive. Many thought it would take days to call the race, but it was decided in mere hours, with Brough calling to concede around 10pm on election night.

Other takeaways include the limits of far-left progressive candidates, even in a solidly Democratic city. While Johnston was seen as the more progressive candidate to Brough, he’s by no means a far-left candidate, and he had a huge advantage in money so that was more of a unique situation. On the city council side, all of the contested runoff races featured a more establishment Democrat going up against a candidate endorsed by the Democratic Socialists. Two of those far-left candidates lost by a wide margin and only one has a chance of winning.

Mayor

The most current results at the time of writing (which are the unofficial final election results) has Mike Johnston ahead by roughly 55 percent to Kelly Brough’s 45 percent.

The highly anticipated mayoral race ended anticlimactically with a 10 point win and a concession call at around 10pm, just a few hours after the polls closed.

Mike Johnston will be inaugurated as Denver’s next mayor on July 17. Johnston will follow 12 years under Mayor Michael Hancock, and Johnston has pledged to only serve eight years.

City Council

Denver has a 13 person city council and in recent years has been trying to claw some power from Denver’s strong mayor form of government. Nine of those seats were decided in April’s election and four seats triggered a runoff (nobody surpassed 50 percent in initial voting).

In District 7, Flor Alvidrez had an easy path to victory, as her opponent dropped out of the race.

On the other hand, Districts 8, 9, and 10 were a different story. In one race the progressive candidate narrowly won and in two of those districts the more progressive candidate lost by a wide margin.

In District 8, Shontel Lewis beat Brad Revare by less than 3 percent (only 356 votes). Revare is a more moderate candidate, while Lewis campaigned as a progressive candidate.

In District 9, Darrell Watson defeated incumbent Candi CdeBaca. CdeBaca had been a city councilmember since 2019, and was extremely vocal in advocating for progressive policies in Denver. Watson beat CdeBaca by over 20 points!

In District 10, incumbent Chris Hinds defeated Shannon Hoffman, who also aligned herself with progressive policies. Hinds beat Hoffman by nearly 11 points.

Governor Bill Signing Update

Since the end of session, the Governor has been on the traditional bill signing tour. The Governor has signed numerous bills and over 40 different locations around the state. Bill signings always have their little pomp and circumstance, but the more interesting news are the bills that were signed with a signing statement and those that were vetoed.

There were ten bills that the Governor signed with a signing statement, which allows the Governor to throw a little shade (concerns about the bill) and share other thoughts or actions. For example, the HB23-1311 signing statement makes clear that any long-term change to TABOR refund mechanisms must include income tax reductions, in his opinion.

Lastly, the moment you’ve been waiting for – there were ten bills that the Governor vetoed. Some were expected, for example everyone knows where the Governor stands on wolves. And others further exacerbated some of the tensions between the new large majority of Democrats and the Governor, like HB23-1190 on a local government right of first refusal for multi-family housing. And of course (like prior years) some others were just too much regulation for this Governor.

Bills Signed with a Signing Statement (Link to Signing Statement)

Bills Vetoed (Link to Veto Letter)

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s not good to be a fan of any of those ten bills that got vetoed… or a fan of the Miami Heat. LET’S GO NUGGETS!!!

Watch out for the next CLS Newsletter recapping the June Economic & Revenue Forecast on June 20.

Education & Resources