One key election to watch to see the general mood of the country is the mayoral election in Denver. It hasn’t gotten much press attention, unlike Chicago, LA or NYC for example, but it should.
You might not typically think of Denver as a dangerous city. But in the last half decade, crime has tripled and homelessness has doubled, as well as overdoses on opioids. The Denver Post notes the city is the most dangerous it’s been since 1981.
Michael Hancock has been the Democratic mayor of Denver for 12 years and is not running for re-election. A whopping seventeen candidates are running, but only one serious one has criticized the mayor, and has a dramatically different vision than him.
Call it classic party loyalty. In the seventeen person field, no one candidate is polling above 5%, making the race a complete jump ball. Because of that, and the Dem candidates’ failure to distinguish themselves from the incumbent mayor, a Republican may end up becoming mayor. You have to go as far back as 1959 to find the last GOP candidate who was elected mayor in the city.
But Republican Andy Rougeot has a solid chance of becoming Denver’s next mayor. He called Mayor Hancock’s tenure as mayor an example of failed leadership. A military veteran and small business owner, Rougeot strikes the moderate to conservative tone that seems to be the winning recipe for Republicans and non liberals to win a mayor’s seat in a big city. He calls for an increase in police and to outlaw homeless tents and encampments on city streets. But, he also has talked about building more affordable housing, something liberal voters would agree with. What a novel idea. Protect city streets, hire more cops, and create living spaces to actually give homeless people somewhere to go and some quality of life. It seems obvious, but he’s a novel candidate for the nation in advocating for both liberal and conservative policies.
The policy of two other frontrunners, both Democrats, won’t surprise you. Kelly Brogh headed the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce and campaigns on not being a politician. She says the answer to rising crime is simply investing in the community and making police culture more transparent. The finger wagging shifts back to those in uniform. She wants less of a police budget.
Mike Johnston is a state representative who ran against former governor John Hinkenlooper in his successful bid to get elected to the US senate. He ran as the hard left alternative to a figure who cut a more moderate bend.
Receiving an endorsement from the liberal Denver Press, they note that he doesn’t want to increase the police budget, but wants to be “their greatest cheerleader.” He may be a bit more moderate than Brough, however, as he wants to prosecute those found possessing hard drugs. The difference is, he suggests rehab instead of jail, but that that would allow prosecutors to go after users more often.
If Rougeot wins, it will serve as a template and spotlight a trend (Paul Vallas in Chicago is another one), of ultra liberal cities electing the most conservative choice, bucking history. Don’t sleep on this race, as it speaks volumes about voters and the nation.
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