The work of voters deciding who sits on the Denver City Council is far from over after Tuesday, with as many as a half-dozen council races headed toward a June 4 runoff. The council will gain at least two new faces after the city’s elections, due to retirements, and eight other council members faced contested elections Tuesday, some in crowded fields. The array of choices gave Denver voters opportunities to greatly reshape a city government struggling to manage development as the Front Range grows at a rapid clip. The city’s clerk and recorder position is also open and appears headed to a runoff. Below are the election results as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Not listed are Districts 2, 6 and 7, where Councilmen Kevin Flynn , Paul Kashmann and Jolon Clark , respectively, ran opposed. At large seats The race for two at-large seats — unlike the races for district seats on the City Council — cannot go to a runoff. Instead, the top two candidates win outright. At-large Councilwomen Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega , both seeking re-election, faced four challengers but ended Tuesday with significant leads. Live election results As of 11:30 p.m., Johnny Hayes had 11,374 votes (6 percent), Kniech had 52,531 (28 percent), Lynne Langdon had 20,918 votes (11 percent), Ortega had 68,383 (36 percent), Jesse Lashawn Parris had 10,042 votes (5 percent), and Tony Pigford had 26,345 (14 percent). District 1 Northwest Denver’s District 1 had an open race after Councilman Rafael Espinoza decided not to pursue another term. Seven candidates competed Tuesday, a field larger than the mayoral race, and none currently have the 50.1 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff. As of 11:30 p.m., Victoria Aguilar had 1,218 votes (9 percent), Sabrina D’Agosta had 1,744 (13 percent), Scott Alan Durrah had 1,016 votes (8 percent), Praj Kulkarni had 1,441 (11 percent), David Sabados had 1,195 votes (9 percent), Amanda Sandoval had 4,071 votes (31 percent), and Mike Somma had 2,327 (18 percent). District 3 District 3, on the west side, also had an open race, with term limits preventing Councilman Paul Lopez from running again. Four candidates filed to fill his shoes in a district that includes Broncos Stadium at Mile High and appears poised for development but, in the meantime, includes some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. No candidate has yet cleared 50 percent. As of 11:30 p.m., Veronica Barela had 1,764 votes (37 percent), Annie Martínez had 705 votes (15 percent), Raymond Montoya had 430 votes (9 percent), and Jamie Torres had 1,923 votes (40 percent). District 4 In the southeastern District 4, Councilwoman Kendra Black is seeking re-election to a second term against challenger Colleen Zahradnicek and ended Tuesday with a wide lead. As of 11:30 p.m., Black, who billed herself as a moderate and pragmatic voice on the City Council, had 9,695 votes (78 percent). Zahradnicek, who vowed to fight corruption in city government, had 2,720 votes (22 percent). District 5 Three challengers in District 5, on the east side, lined up to challenge Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman : Michele Fry , Steve Replin and Amanda Sawyer . As of 11:30 p.m., Fry had 1,977 votes (15 percent), Replin had 990 votes (7 percent), Sawyer had 5,453 (41 percent) and Susman had 4,812 votes (36 percent). District 8 Northeast Denver’s District 8 includes the neighborhoods of East Colfax, Park Hill and Stapleton. On Tuesday, it featured one of the largest races, with five challengers taking on Councilman Chris Herndon . If Tuesday’s results hold, Herndon will have narrowly avoided a runoff. As of 11:30 p.m., Miguel Adrian Ceballos-Ruiz had 1,185 votes (9 percent), Herndon had 6,794 votes (51 percent), LaMone Noles had 749 votes (6 percent), Erik Penn had 602 (5 percent), Blair Taylor had 2,836 votes (21 percent), and Patrick Thibault had 1,025 (8 percent). District 9 Councilman Albus Brooks faced three challengers as he sought a third and final term on the council in District 9, which includes parts of downtown and Five Points, among other city hot spots. Brooks is another incumbent possibly forced into a runoff. As of 11:30 p.m., Brooks had 5,624 votes (47 percent), Candi CdeBaca had 4,787 (40 percent), David Oletski had 484 votes (4 percent), and Jonathan Patrick Woodley had 1,047 (9 percent). District 10 In the center of the city is District 10, which includes Capitol Hill, Uptown, Cherry Creek, Country Club and Congress Park. Councilman Wayne New ran for re-election to a second term against three challengers there Tuesday. No candidate currently has a majority of the votes, making a runoff likely there as well. As of 11:30 p.m., Chris Hinds had 4,355 votes (28 percent), Antonio Mendez had 2,239 (15 percent), New had 6,586 votes (43 percent), and Tony Smith had 2,137 (14 percent). District 11 District 11, in Denver’s far northeast corner, has been represented by Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore for the past four years. She sought a second term Tuesday against Christine Alonzo and appears to have won easily. As of 11:30 p.m., Alonzo had 1,554 votes (26 percent) and Gilmore had 4,532 (74 percent). Clerk and recorder In a citywide election to replace retiring Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson , there were three candidates: current Councilman Paul Lopez , Sarah McCarthy and Peg Perl . As of 11:30 p.m., Lopez had 38,828 votes (36 percent), McCarthy had 34,022 (31 percent), and Perl had 35,327 votes (33 percent).<doc-sep>Tuesday’s elections in Denver included an army of candidates and two first-in-the-nation ballot initiatives, offering voters several chances to disrupt the status quo. They took those opportunities, mostly. Voters turned out in record numbers: The total of 185,081 ballots cast was higher than for any municipal election in recent city history. About 39 percent of the city’s registered voters weighed in, the highest for a general municipal election since 1991. Together, they opened the door for potential changes to the city’s leadership. Four of the city’s leaders will have to defend their seats in a runoff election June 4 — including Mayor Michael Hancock and three council members. In a speech on Tuesday, a fired-up Hancock said he was ready to fight with his “back up against that wall.” RELATED: Denver election results 2019 It has been rare for incumbents to face a runoff in recent years. It last happened in the mayor’s race in 1995. And only one sitting council member, Susan Shepherd, has been defeated in recent years. Runoffs occur when no candidate achieves more than 50 percent of the vote. “There was a message sent last night,” said Denver political analyst Eric Sondermann. “This is a city very open to change right now.” Others credited the change to the city’s rapidly shifting population. “It’s an indication of the dynamic of the new people moving into the city,” said pollster and political consultant Rick Ridder. “… They’re not attached to anybody. There’s no attachment to the City Council person.” Meanwhile, voters demonstrated that they still have an appetite for liberal policies: They approved a new law that will decriminalize psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms. Still, the results were distressing to some in the city’s progressive circles. Initiative 300, the “Right to Survive” campaign, failed by a huge margin, with more than 81 percent of voters rejecting its attempt to guarantee new rights for people living in public spaces. “So we literally decriminalized mushrooms but not people experiencing homelessness,” tweeted voter Jessica Zender — a sentiment shared by others on social media. The well-funded opposition had warned that the broadly worded measure would hurt the city’s ability to manage encampments and offer services. “If you did that, it would turn into San Diego the next day,” said voter Brett Stamm, 35. Who’s still running? On Wednesday, the remaining candidates were gearing up for one last month-long sprint. Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman faces the starkest challenge: She trails candidate Amanda Sawyer in East Denver, where development concerns have riled suburban neighborhoods. Live election results There’s also Councilman Albus Brooks, who finished ahead of challenger Candi CdeBaca by only about 300 votes — 2 percentage points. CdeBaca has accused Brooks of siding with developers in the rapidly gentrifying district, while Brooks says he’s creating a model for growth that benefits the community. The runoff for mayor will pose a complicated question for some voters. Giellis has promised to rein in development and improve the city’s leadership, a theme that she shared with all of the challengers. But she, like Hancock, received significant campaign support from developers and neither of the other major candidates — Lisa Calderón and Penfield Tate — has pledged to support her. Giellis could use their help. Hancock ended up with 39 percent of the vote in the final tally. Giellis took 25 percent, followed by Calderón at 18 percent and Tate at 15 percent. If the same electorate shows up on June 4, Giellis would have to win over about 70 percent of the other challengers’ voters to beat Hancock. But she faces intense skepticism from some supporters of Calderón, in particular, because of her time as a leader in the River North development zone. Giellis says that she was hired to manage development, not encourage it. “Whoever wins, it still creates a Denver of haves and have-nots, and everyone else struggling to survive in the city,” said organizer Justine Sandoval, whose family is from northeast Denver. “I’m really, really just torn today, thinking about how I’m going to handle that situation. This is the worst possible outcome for me.”<doc-sep>Denver election officials reconvened late Wednesday morning to resume counting ballots, with the possible decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms still to be decided. Denver Elections officials expect a record turnout of about 185,000 votes. As of 8:30 a.m., about three-quarters of those ballots were counted. Final unofficial results are expected later Wednesday. When the city stopped counting overnight, there were 68,711 votes in favor of Initiative 301 and 73,450 votes in opposition, a difference of 3.4 percentage points. If it passes, psychedelic mushrooms will remain illegal but enforcement of their prohibition would become a low priority for Denver Police. (Update: In final unofficial results, Initiative 301 gained and was passing narrowly.) Live election results Election Day voters closed the gap Tuesday night, making passage more likely than it appeared earlier in the evening. The initiative would have to take roughly 55 percent of the remaining votes to win. Wednesday’s results are not expected to change the outcome of the premier race on the ballot: Mayor Michael Hancock and challenger Jamie Giellis appear headed for a June 4 runoff election after finishing first and second, respectively, in a six-candidate field Tuesday. Three members of the Denver City Council are on track for their own runoffs in districts where development concerns have played large. Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman is headed for a runoff with Amanda Sawyer in District 5; the incumbent trailed in early results. Councilman Albus Brooks appears set for a runoff with Candi CdeBaca in District 9. Also, Councilman Wayne New is looking at a runoff with Chris Hinds. The two open council seats — Districts 1 and 3 in northwest and west Denver — also are headed for runoffs. In District 1, former council aide Amanda Sandoval and firefighter Mike Somma are the apparent contenders. In District 3, it’s likely to be Veronica Barela, former president of the NEWSED Community Development Corporation, and Jamie Torres, director of the city’s Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs. At-large council members Debbie Ortega and Robin Kniech both appeared to retain their seats. Initiative 300, which would have overturned the urban camping ban, appears dead, regardless of what happens Wednesday. It has 17 percent of the vote heading into Wednesday afternoon.<doc-sep>There were some surprises in the Denver City Council races. DENVER — Incumbents Deborah "Debbie" Ortega and Robin Kniech were well in front in a large field of candidates for Denver's two at-large city council seats in unofficial returns Tuesday. Meanwhile, in the race for the open council seat in District 1, Amanda Sandoval enjoyed a wide lead in partial returns, but was well short of a 50% majority needed to avoid a runoff with second-place finisher Mike Somma. In open District 3, Jamie Torres led Veronica Elizabeth Barela by nearly 3 percentage points in returns as of 5 a.m. Incumbents Kendra Black in District 4 and Stacie Gilmore in District 11 was elected with roughly three-quarters of the vote in unofficial returns, and incumbent Chris Herndon was hovering just above 51% in District 8. Read the full story at Colorado Politics: bit.ly/2LDGASS<doc-sep>
Denver voters voiced their dissatisfaction with City Council members Tuesday, forcing three incumbents into a politically dangerous June 4 runoff. The council was guaranteed to gain at least two new faces after the elections, due to retirements. Eight other council members faced contested elections, several in crowded fields. In all except the at-large council races, a runoff occurs when all candidates fail to gain more than 50 percent of the total votes. The array of choices gave Denver voters opportunities to greatly reshape a city government struggling to manage development as the Front Range grows at a rapid clip. The city’s clerk and recorder position was open and will go to a runoff, as well. Below are the final, unofficial election results, released Wednesday. Not listed are Districts 2, 6 and 7, where Councilmen Kevin Flynn, Paul Kashmann and Jolon Clark, respectively, ran unopposed. At large seats The race for two at-large seats — unlike the races for district seats on the City Council — cannot go to a runoff. Instead, the top two candidates win outright, which was good news for the incumbents. At-large Councilwomen Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega both won re-election Tuesday. Kniech won 69,579 votes, or 28 percent of the total. Ortega took 91,406 votes, or 36 percent. District 1 Northwest Denver’s District 1 had an open race after Councilman Rafael Espinoza decided not to pursue a second term. Seven candidates competed Tuesday, a field larger than that of the mayoral race, to represent a district with some of the city’s most intense redevelopment. Espinoza’s former aide and chosen successor, 40-year-old Amanda Sandoval, won 5,735 votes, or 31 percent. She will face Mike Somma in a runoff after he took 3,124 votes, or 17 percent. District 3 District 3, on the west side, also had an open race, due to Councilman Paul Lopez’s term limit. Four candidates filed to fill his shoes in a district that includes Broncos Stadium at Mile High and appears poised for development but, in the meantime, includes some of the city’s poorest parts. Jamie Torres and Veronica Barela will compete in a runoff to represent the seat. Torres, 42, is director of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. She earned 2,679 votes, or 40 percent. Barela, 73, is the former president of the NEWSED Community Development Corp. She took in 2,410 votes, or 36 percent, on Tuesday. District 4 In the southeastern District 4, Councilwoman Kendra Black sought re-election to a second term against challenger Colleen Zahradnicek and won easily. Black, who billed herself as a moderate and pragmatic voice on the City Council, won with 12,144 votes, or 78 percent. Zahradnicek, who vowed to fight corruption in city government, had 3,458 votes, about 22 percent. District 5 Three challengers in District 5, on the east side, lined up to challenge Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman: Michele Fry, Stephen Replin and Amanda Sawyer. Next month, Susman and Sawyer will face off. Sawyer, 40, had raised concerns about the rate of development along East Colfax. She earned 6,707 votes, or 41 percent. Susman, 71, is a self-described “neo-urbanist” who has said east Denver should welcome growth, earning her pushback. She took in 5,928 votes, 36 percent. District 8 Northeast Denver’s District 8 includes the neighborhoods of East Colfax, Park Hill and Stapleton. On Tuesday, it featured one of the largest races, with five challengers taking on Councilman Chris Herndon. Herndon, a 41-year-old seeking a third term, narrowly avoided a runoff. He won 9,386 votes, or 51 percent, in the crowded field. Blair Taylor, a 41-year-old from Park Hill, came in second with 3,712 votes, about 20 percent. District 9 Councilman Albus Brooks faced three challengers as he sought a third and final term on the council in District 9, which includes parts of downtown and Five Points, among other city hot spots. Brooks was not able to avoid a runoff, taking 7,513 votes, or 45 percent. Candi CdeBaca won 7,224 votes, or 43 percent, and will face Brooks in the head-to-head matchup June 4. “I came here tonight to accept a loss or a win, but the universe gave me 28 days,” CdeBaca told supporters at a watch party Tuesday night. District 10 In the center of the city is District 10, which includes Capitol Hill, Uptown, Cherry Creek, Country Club and Congress Park, among other neighborhoods. Councilman Wayne New ran for re-election to a second term against three challengers there Tuesday. He, too, could not avoid a runoff election.