State Sen. Chris Hansen represents a big chunk of east Denver at the capitol. On Monday, he made it official that he hopes to represent the entire city as mayor, filing paperwork to join a for the April 2023 election.
“We’ve got serious issues in Denver that we need to tackle and I’m running for mayor to really bring the best ideas forward and to build a great team to tackle those together,” Hansen told The Denver Post.
The election, scheduled for April 4, will be the first open mayor’s race in the city since the term-limited Michael Hancock was elected to the first of his three terms in 2009. Hansen became the 15th candidate for the city’s top elected office.
Hansen served in the State House from 2017 to 2020 when he was appointed to succeed Sen. Lois Court representing District 31 in the Senate. He won re-election later that year. His term ends in 2025.
After a two-decade career in the private sector that included advising energy companies and governments on how to improve their operations, Hansen prides himself on his legislative work on environmental policy. He has a climate-focused bill on deck for the coming legislative session.
He did not run for any leadership positions at the statehouse for this session because of the time and energy he will have to commit to running for mayor, he said.
The father of two teen boys, Hansen said he is motivated in part by trying to create a better future for his family. As outlined in a launch video on , his run for mayor will be focused on three issues: public safety, affordability and sustainability. Safety will be his first priority, particularly in the core of the city.
“I think we‘re all concerned about rising crime rates. I feel really strongly that we have to revitalize downtown, reinvest in downtown,” Hansen said. “We have some great opportunities but I think for Denver to work and to thrive we have to have a vibrant downtown and right now I don’t think we’re in that spot.”
If elected, he would keep up enforcement of the city’s urban camping ban including through sweeps of encampments. He mentioned the Salvation Army as a nonprofit partner that he believes is having strong success and is worthy of more investment from the city and even the state when it comes to resolving unsheltered homelessness.
“I don’t think anyone benefits from camping on the street. It’s not good for the folks in that situation. It’s not for the city and our ability to progress as a city,” he said. “Itap not going to be easy or overnight but I think we can really turn the tide if we focus on spending more money on the projects and efforts that are working well and drawing back on those things that aren’t showing results.”
On the housing affordability front, Hansen is hopeful that public transportation projects like a bus rapid transit corridor on Coflax Avenue will help bring the cost of living down for working-class people when partnered with more dense housing along transit corridors.
Hansen becomes the second former member of the legislature’s influential joint budget committee to declare for mayor. Fellow Democrat, Rep. Leslie Herod also served on that committee with Hansen. Herod was re-elected to her District 8 seat last week despite .
Aside from Herod, the other candidates that have so far filed paperwork to run for the city’s top office next year are: , Anna Burrell, , Alex Cowans, Marcus Giavanni, Aurelio Martinez, , Jesse Lashawn Parris, , , Ken Simpson, Ean Thomas Tafoya and .
