Meet the Democrats looking to represent northwest Denver's District 4
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photo: Courtesy of DivInc
At least three Democrats — including a former lawmaker — are vying to represent northwest Denver in the state legislature.
State of play: Serena Gonzales-Guiterrez's election to the Denver City Council leaves House District 4 without a representative.
- The district includes neighborhoods like Jefferson Park, Sunnyside and Westwood.
Why it matters: A replacement will be selected by the party through a vacancy committee, bypassing the traditional election process.
- The committee is made up of 68 precinct organizers, party members in the city who encourage voter turnout.
Details: Cecelia Espenoza, Rochelle Galindo and Tim Hernández are hoping to represent a district with a large Latino population.
- Galindo and Hernández identify as progressive Democrats, while Espenoza self-describes as a "mainstream Democrat."
Of note: Galindo served as a state lawmaker for Greeley before allegations of inappropriate behavior led to her resignation in 2019.
Zoom in: All three tell us they have the experience to be effective lawmakers.
- Espenoza, 64, a retired federal appellate judge, says she would focus on gun safety, ensuring government transparency, and exploring how to expand land use to improve housing.
- Galindo, 33, who is unemployed, says she will advocate for worker's rights, more rights for tenants, renewable energy, and people with disabilities — a newfound cause after she had a stroke in January, which she says limited mobility on her left side.
- Hernández, 26, a teacher, says his top priorities would be workplace protections, improving diversity among educators, and gun violence prevention.
What they're saying: "Our kids are growing up in neighborhoods where it is easier to get a gun than a diploma," Hernández says.
- Espenoza says she pushed the party to include more Spanish-language election outreach during the 2020 election and has pushed to make the party more ethnically diverse.
What's next: It's possible more candidates may emerge, since people can be nominated during the vacancy committee meeting.
- A meeting date next month to select the new lawmaker has not been set yet, party officials tell us.
