Aurora Democrats prepare to challenge conservative majority this fall

• In 2017, Aurora voters elected three self-described progressive candidates, according to the Sentinel. In 2019, they voted in two more.

Yes, but: In 2021, voters moved in the opposite direction. Some political observers say the city's political shift was a response to rising crime amid the "defund the police" movement following the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

• Conservative candidates "had a very clear message about public safety," JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin, a political science instructor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and an Aurora native, told the Denver Post after the election.

Driving the news: The conservative overhaul faces a referendum in November as the campaigning for the election gets started earlier than usual. Five city council seats — and the mayorship — are up for re-election this fall, and a half-dozen Democrats have already announced they'll be running for the open seats.

• Aurora council member Juan Marcano — a Democratic Socialist of America and frequent critic of Mayor Mike Coffman — is challenging him for the office.
• In a joint announcement with Marcano last week, five others declared bids for council seats: Incumbent Alison Coombs, pastor Thomas Mayes, anti-gang activist Jason McBride, attorney Brian Matise and community organizer Chris Rhodes.

What they're saying: "What pains me is we have so much potential as a city but it is being squandered by shortsighted folks who are more interested in playing politics than actually serving our community," Marcano said during a news briefing last week, according to the Denver Gazette.

Catch up quick: Aurora conservatives have plowed ahead on their agenda since the power shift in 2021.

• Aurora's right wing has passed a homeless camping ban, rejected a Native American land acknowledgment and successfully lobbied for the firing of reform-focused police chief Vanessa Wilson.

What we're watching: Coffman hasn't officially announced his plans seeking another term, the Sentinel reports. But he told Fox31 in December he's "going to run again."

• Coffman did not immediately respond to Axios Denver's request for comment.