Chris Romer, the perceived front-runner in the Denver mayor’s race, did in fact come out on top in Tuesday’s balloting. But given the slim margin between him and second place, it appears Romer has his work cut out for him in the run-off.
Given the amount of money he has already spent, and the very narrow gap between him and either Michael Hancock or James Mejia (as of our deadline, second place was still too close to call), Romer isn’t positioned as strongly heading into a June run-off as many first thought.
Denver voters have a long history of turning against the perceived front-runners, dropping Ari Zavaras in 2003 in favor of John Hickenlooper and Don Mares and giving Wellington Webb the edge over District Attorney Norm Early in 1991. In 1987, Mayor Federico Peña came storming back in the run-off to knock off Don Bain, the earlier top vote-getter.
So Romer is far from being a lock.
Romer has time to redefine himself, and to appeal to a broader swath of voters. And he needs to.
Since all the candidates were left-of-center Democrats in a left-of-center city, it wasn’t a divisive race, which is good from a civic standpoint, but it also meant there were few discernible dividing lines between the candidates.
That should change with just two candidates. With 10 candidates, it was hard for anyone to gain much traction or garner much attention.
It largely became a race about personalities, which is why Hancock seemed to be gaining in the campaign’s waning days. His TV ads have focused on his uplifting personal story of overcoming tough odds, and voters have gravitated to it and his personality. It was a smart move. Issues often take a back seat to personality in elections.
But if Hancock emerges in the second spot, he’ll have to put some meat on the bones of his campaign and his platform.
The Denver Post endorsed Romer in this race because we believe the former state senator’s strong financial background will be a valuable asset as the city manages its historic budget problems. Since he has never served in city government, we think he’ll bring the critical eye of an outsider to the bureaucracy, too.
He has embraced the importance of business-friendly policies and we thought he offered the best vision, and best ideas, for Denver.
But will that be enough?
Hancock, who was leading Mejia by 1,185 votes as of our deadline, is engaging and seems to be peaking at just the right time. He has raised a ton of money recently, including a staggering $64,000 since last Friday. That suggests voters and key leaders have begun to believe in him at just the right time.
Even though the race hasn’t exactly captivated the city — only about a third of registered voters turned in ballots — we’re hopeful the run-off will be an engaging yet spirited affair that’s not too nasty.
Denver deserves an election with candidates who sling ideas, not mud.
