Lisa Calderón announces 2023 run for Denver mayor

Regis University instructor and community advocate Lisa Calderón joins a crowded field hoping to make history in the Mile High City.

Driving the news: Calderón announced Thursday morning that she will again run for Denver mayor.

• Calderón adds her name to a crowded field of candidates hoping to replace term-limited Mayor Michael Hancock.
• Calderón has been critical of Hancock in the past, suing the mayor in 2018 in federal court and alleging political retaliation after losing a re-entry program contract with the city.
• She ran unsuccessfully against Hancock in 2019, coming in third during the May municipal election.

Big picture: Calderón is the latest high-profile woman in the mayoral race, which now includes former head of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Kelly Brough, state Rep. Leslie Herod, and current at-large City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega.

• Including Calderón, there are now 14 contenders in Denver's mayoral race.

What they're saying: "I have been fighting for working families, affordable housing, safer communities, civil rights, and reproductive freedom long before the pandemic or current threats to our democracy," Calderón said in a statement.

• She added that she wants to reimagine Denver as a place where both affordable housing and open spaces see investments, and said she wants to help small businesses thrive and see workers be paid equitably.
• Sarah Lake will serve as Calderón's campaign manager. Lake was behind the organized effort opposing the building of a new arena in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood last year.

Details: Calderón serves as executive director of Emerge Colorado, which trains Democratic women to run for office. The group recently commissioned a poll showing a woman candidate had a strong chance in the race. Herod is among the program's alumnae.

• Calderón previously worked as chief of staff for Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca and as a professor at Metropolitan State University.