CO: DEMOCRAT MIKE JOHNSTON ELECTED MAYOR OF DENVER
<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Democrat Mike Johnston will be next mayor of Denver after opponent concedes</p>\n<p>By: Shania Shelton</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Former Colorado state Sen. Mike Johnston will be the next mayor of Denver after his opponent, Kelly Brough, called to concede Tuesday's runoff.</p>\n<p>"I called Mike -- and I hope he is surrounded by as beautiful people as I am tonight -- and I wished him Godspeed in the work ahead because our city is challenged and it needs a lot of work," said Brough, a former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce who, if elected, would have been the city's first female mayor. </p>\n<p>Johnston is poised to succeed term-limited Democratic incumbent Michael Hancock in Colorado's largest city. </p>\n<p>Both candidates advanced to the runoff after finishing in the top two in the crowded first round in April, Johnston with 24% to 20% for Brough. While the race is officially nonpartisan, both candidates identified as Democrats.</p>\n<p>Johnston was appointed to the Colorado State Senate in 2009 and served through 2017 when he was term-limited. He worked as a teacher and principal for over a decade before his time in the Colorado legislature and was an adviser on education issues during Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. </p>\n<p>Both Johnston and Brough benefited from outside spending, Johnston more so, according to the most recent data from the Office of the Denver Clerk and Recorder ahead of the election. </p>\n<p>Wealthy donors, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry, poured money into a pro-Johnston super PAC, Advancing Denver. </p>\n<p>A Better Denver, a super PAC whose donors include the National Association of Realtors, backed Brough and ran an ad that accused Johnston of lying about building Colorado's Covid-19 testing program and his role in the passage of gun control bills. </p>\n<p>Johnston's campaign said the ad "intentionally misleads voters with untrue statements and 'supporting evidence' that is taken out of context." He also made a cease-and-desist demand for TV stations to stop airing the ad.</p>\n<p>Both candidates focused their campaign on homelessness and vowed to make solving the crisis a top priority.</p>\n<p>Johnston noted in an ad that he was running for mayor because of "a moral obligation to house everyone in Denver." He said "that means building new housing right now with the mental health, addiction and job training services that people need to rebuild their lives and get back on their feet.</p>\n<p>His mayoral campaign was backed by Federico Peña, the first Hispanic mayor of Denver, US Rep. Brittany Pettersen and several of the losing candidates from the April first round, including progressives Lisa Calderon, who finished in third place, and state Rep. Leslie Herod, who finished fifth.</p>\n<p>Johnston made two other bids for office in recent years. He ran for governor in 2018, losing in the Democratic primary to Jared Polis, who is now serving his second gubernatorial term. Johnston also briefly ran for US Senate during the 2020 cycle but withdrew shortly after Hickenlooper entered the race. </p>\n<p>Brough was the first female head of Denver's human resource department and the first woman to lead the local Chamber of Commerce. She previously worked as chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, now the state's junior US senator. </p>\n<p>She earned endorsements from the Denver police union and the Denver Metro Association of Realtors as well as from former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, the city's first Black mayor, and former Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter, who served more than a decade as Denver district attorney. </p>\n<p>Brough had pledged to eliminate unsanctioned encampments in her first year of office.</p>\n<p>This story has been updated with Brough's concession.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Supers/Fonts: </b> Mike Johnston</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Story Location: </b> Denver</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>State/Province: </b> Colorado</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Shot Date: </b> 06/06/2023</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>URL: </b> https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/denver-mayors-race-2023-runoff/73-94050e45-62b8-4ee4-b1b3-8c13650a35c0</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Notes and Restrictions: </b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Newsource Notes: </b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>Story Description: </b></p>\n<p>Elements:</p>\n<p>watch party</p>\n<p>Johnston speaks at 1234a</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Wire/StoryDescription:</p>\n<p>DENVER Mike Johnston claimed victory and Kelly Brough conceded Tuesday night in the runoff election to become Denver's 46th mayor.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>As of 10 p.m. Johnston leads the race with 54% of the vote. Brough has 46% of the vote.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Johnston will succeed Mayor Michael Hancock to become Denver's first new mayor since 2011.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Johnston was a Colorado state senator from 2009 to 2017 and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nominations for governor in 2012 and U.S. Senate in 2020. He was also a teacher and principal, though his support for charter schools has led to tension with teachers' unions that typically support Democrats.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>He previously served as an advisor for President Barack Obama during his campaign.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Most recently, he was the head of Gary Community Ventures, which uses philanthropy and investment to back projects supporting the livelihood of kids and families in Colorado.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>> Full interview: Election Eve sit down with Denver mayoral candidate Mike Johnston</p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>The winner will be sworn into office in July.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Johnston and Brough were the top two vote-getters in Denvers general election on April 4. Because none of the 16 candidates (officially 17, but one dropped out of the race beforehand) on the ballot secured 50% of the vote, the election went to a runoff.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>They were each well-funded going into the second round.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Through April, Brough had $895,613 from about 4,300 contributors, 69% of whom were in Denver. Johnston had $932,060 from about 5,500 people, with 42% of them in Denver.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Credit: 9NEWS</p>\n<p>Contributors also gave to the political action committees backing the candidates. Advancing Denver, in support of Johnston, took in $4.1 million. A Better Denver, in support of Brough, took in $1.4 million.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Johnston largely had the support of out-of-state billionaires like Mike Bloomberg and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. Brough is backed by real estate interests and developers.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Johnston had won endorsements from several opponents in the general election like State Rep. Leslie Herod (D) and Lisa Calderón, who finished third. Former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, the Denver Post editorial board, YIMBY Denver and UFCW Local 7 also supported Johnston.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb endorsed Brough, as did former Gov. Bill Ritter, the Denver GOP, the Marijuana Industry Group and the police union. She also secured an endorsement from State Sen. Chris Hansen (D), who finished sixth in the initial mayoral race.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Station Notes/Scripts:</p>\n<p>n/a</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--SUPERS</b>--</p>\n<p>Tuesday</p>\n<p>Denver</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Mayor-Elect Mike Johnston</p>\n<p>(D) Denver</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--VIDEO SHOWS</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--VO SCRIPT</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--LEAD IN</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--SOT</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--TAG</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS</b>--</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--KEYWORD TAGS--</b></p>\n<p></p>