Shontel Lewis wins Denver City Council race, final tally shows
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2023/06/07/1686175616886.gif?w=3840)
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Shontel Lewis has won the City Council District 8 race after final unofficial results released Wednesday afternoon showed her with a 356 vote advantage against Brad Revare in Denver's runoff election
- Lewis received 51% support, compared to 49% for Revare.
By the numbers: 1,495 mismarked ballots remain outstanding, as well as overseas votes, election officials said, but they did not say how many are in the district.
Why it matters: The contest is the lone outstanding race from this year's municipal contests, and pits an establishment candidate against a progressive.
State of play: Lewis, a former member of the RTD board who drew controversy for her arrest record in her first bid for office, is aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, who suffered two major losses in Tuesday's election.
- With her win, she'll be the second left-leaning candidate elected this year, joining Sarah Parady, an at-large member.
What they're saying: "We believe this will be the most progressive council our city has seen, and we look forward to what the next four years will bring," Colorado Working Families Party state director Wendy Howell said in a statement.
- Lewis declined our interview requests Wednesday.
The other side: Revare led a nonprofit business coalition called Colorado Succeeds. His candidacy received more than $200,000 in outside help from super PACs supporting moderate candidates.
Of note: Lewis received roughly $70,000 in outside support but was also targeted by opponents who spent more than $26,000.
The intrigue: Candi CdeBaca, Denver's most prominent progressive council member lost her re-election but declared a larger victory in a statement Wednesday.
- "This was never about 'Candi'— this was about building power for community, to shift the way that our city moves," she said. "More people are paying attention and getting involved across districts, and those are wins we can build on."
Alayna Alvarez contributed to this report.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from Candi CdeBaca and the Colorado Working Families Party.