Denver mayor's race gets ugly in final days
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Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios
The Denver mayor's race is turning nasty ahead of Tuesday's runoff election.
What's happening: More negative — and misleading — television commercials, mailers and yard signs are appearing across the Mile High City, and some are coming from independent groups that are hard to hold accountable.
Driving the news: Kelly Brough's campaign recently released a TV ad attacking opponent Mike Johnston for receiving high-dollar campaign contributions from wealthy, out-of-state donors, despite having received outside money from billionaires herself — a detail the ad omits.
What they're saying: "Maybe these guys think Denver is for sale," Brough says in the commercial, referring to Johnston and two major funders: Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She held a rally with supporters Thursday to further amplify the attack.
- Meanwhile, another ad circulating from A Better Denver, the super PAC supporting Brough, claims her opponent is "lying about his leadership" and taking credit for building Colorado's free COVID testing program, when state officials have challenged his claim.
The other side: Advancing Denver, the independent super PAC supporting Johnston, is sending out mailers slamming Brough for backing the oil and gas industry when she served as CEO of the Denver chamber and attempting to "arrest [Denver's] way out" of its homelessness problem, referring to her plan to involuntary commit or arrest people who are living on the streets.
- Johnston mailers are also ripping into his rival for being "backed by Republicans, developers … and January 6 insurrectionists," citing endorsements from the Denver Republican Party and the Denver Gazette, whose editorial board leader attended the insurrection.
Between the lines: Behind the scenes, Johnston and Brough appear to like each other personally. They often hug before debates and throw each other softballs when put on the spot.
- For example, in a new Westword questionnaire, both candidates were asked what they wished Denver voters knew about their opponent.
- Johnston answered: "Kelly Brough was the first female snowplow driver at Stapleton Airport." Brough went with: "That he isn't as funny as me."
What we're watching: How voters respond to the race's recent negative turn.
Of note: In Colorado Springs, Yemi Mobolade's momentous victory last month as the city's first elected Black mayor — and its first non-Republican leader in at least 45 years — was in large part because he ran a positive race rather than one focused on attacking others, political pundits point out.