Lisa Calderón announces bid for Denver mayor
Lisa Calderón, a progressive Democrat, announced Tuesday that she'll be running for Denver mayor in the April 6, 2027, election.
Calderón, who has worked in different capacities at several Colorado nonprofits and in academia, is hoping to unseat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston after his first term. Denver mayors serve four-year terms and can serve a maximum of three terms.
"Denver residents are asking for leadership that makes our city work for everyone. Across neighborhoods, people are urging me to run and telling me the same thing: despite Mike Johnston's campaign promises, things have only gotten harder," Calderón said in her candidacy announcement. "The cost of living keeps rising, the city faces serious financial challenges, and homelessness has been pushed out of sight rather than solved. And when people have pushed back against the mayor's decisions they have been retaliated against or entirely ignored."
In her announcement, Calderón said she joins other Denver residents who disapprove of Johnston's leadership and management of the city's budget. A budget shortfall last year led to the city laying off about 170 city workers and eliminating 665 open job positions.
"Johnston's overspending and mismanagement of the budget have compromised the future of our city," Calderón said. "He repeatedly misleads voters and allows billionaires and lobbyists to influence neighborhood decisions. Someone has to stand up and take him on. I came very close to beating him once, and I am the best person to challenge him and win."
Calderón touted her performance in the 2023 mayoral general election, where she came in third with 18.1% of the vote compared to Kelly Brough's 20.1% and Johnston's 24.5%, missing the runoff by less than 2% of the total vote. She compared her campaign budget at the time of about $300,000, which she called a "grassroots campaign," to Johnston's approximately $3 million, which she said was funded "largely from out-of-state donors, corporate contributors, charter school reformers, and billionaires."
Campaign finance records show a total of $14.9 million was spent in opposition to Calderón in that race, versus $8.3 million spent in opposition to Johnston, according to the Denver Clerk and Recorder's Office.
After the 2023 general election, Calderón endorsed Johnston.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the mayor's office responded to Calderón's claims with the following statement:
"As ICE threatens cities and President Trump attacks the rule of law, Mayor Johnston is leading the fight for Denver and our values while still delivering historic wins for our city. He's taken on our toughest problems, achieved the largest reduction in street homelessness of any major American city, cut violent crime and auto theft in half, and made Denver a more affordable and vibrant place to live, work, and explore. The work is never over, but we would put our record up against anyone's."
Calderón also ran for mayor in 2019 against the former incumbent, Michael Hancock, coming in third place with 18.47% of the vote. Challenger Jamie Giellis got 24.86%, and Hancock won reelection with 38.65% that year.
She's the executive director of Women Uprising, an organization that trains and prepares progressive women across Colorado to run for office, and is the elected co-chair of the Colorado Working Families Party State Committee. She currently teaches at Regis University in the criminology department and is a consultant on law and policy matters.
She previously worked as a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and later served on the faculty at CU Denver. She got her bachelor's degree at Metropolitan State University of Denver, a master's degree from the University of Denver, a law degree from the University of Colorado, and a doctorate from CU Denver.
Calderón joins Aurelio Martinez, who receieved 0.44% of the vote in the 2023 mayoral election, in the April 2027 mayoral race, according to Denver election records.