Lisa Calderón, a progressive activist who ran for Denver mayor in 2019 and 2023, will again vie for the city’s top job in 2027, taking on Mayor Mike Johnston.
Calderón, who is the third active candidate in the race, placed third in the last mayoral election, narrowly missing the final runoff. She also placed third when she ran in 2019. She announced her new campaign Tuesday.
“Across neighborhoods, people are urging me to run and telling me the same thing: despite Mike Johnston’s campaign promises, things have only gotten harder,” she said in a news release.
Calderón is the executive director of Women Uprising, an organization that trains progressive women in Colorado to run for office. Calderón helped form the group after a similar organization, Emerge Colorado, .
In her announcement, Calderón focused on criticisms of Johnston, who she said has been bad for Denver. Calderón said she decided to run for mayor again after Johnston laid off 169 employees last August in response to an estimated $200 million budget gap.
“Someone has to stand up and take him on. I came very close to beating him once, and I am the best person to challenge him and win,” she said.
A spokesman for Johnston defended his record Tuesday, referencing his work on homelessness and violence reduction.
“As (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) threatens cities and President Trump attacks the rule of law, Mayor Johnston is leading the fight for Denver and our values while still delivering historic wins for our city,” wrote Jon Ewing. “The work is never over, but we would put our record up against anyone’s.”
Calderón was also a frequent critic of Johnston’s predecessor, Michael Hancock. She butted heads with him often while serving as the top staffer for former City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca.
During her campaign, she plans to focus on cost-of-living issues, community-based safety efforts, a housing-first homelessness strategy, bike and pedestrian safety, workers’ issues and small businesses.
Campaign materials obtained by The Denver Post included promises like reinstating laid-off workers, ending the city’s contract with the controversial surveillance company Flock, building more affordable housing and expanding universal child care.
Calderón, a fourth-generation Denverite, holds four degrees — a bachelor’s in English, a master’s in liberal studies, a law degree and a doctorate in education.
Two other candidates, both of whom also ran in 2023, have also filed to run: Aurelio Martinez and Robert Treta. Johnston told The Post in July that he intends to run for reelection, but he hasn’t yet formally filed.
Johnston became mayor in 2023 after soundly defeating Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, by more than 10 percentage points in a runoff election. The two faced off after an initial general election with 17 candidates.
Calderón formally filed for the election Tuesday morning. She plans to host a campaign kick-off event Feb. 11 at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center.
Correction (updated Feb. 3, 2026): Because of a reporter's error, the original version of this story misstated how many candidates have filed for the Denver mayoral election.
