Mayor Mike Johnston formally launched his campaign for reelection Tuesday evening, kicking off the start of a race that will serve as a referendum on his approach to homelessness, housing affordability and bringing new life to downtown.
“We are going to make sure this city serves you back and gives you a home where you can breathe deep and not worry about how you pay the rent next month. And that is what we will do in the next term,” Johnston said to a crowd of dozens of supporters gathered at Town Hall Collective on Santa Fe Drive.
His campaign launch comes amid recent poll results showing his favor has declined steadily among Denver voters over the past three years. In the Colorado Polling Institute survey conducted last month, 50% of voters polled said they view the first-term mayor unfavorably. That’s up from the 38% who said the same in 2024.
According to those results, most voters have said consistently over the years that Johnston is moving the city in the right direction but that he still needs to do more. After his speech, Johnston told a Post reporter he somewhat agreed with that sentiment from voters.
“No one is more unhappy with the rate of progress than me,” Johnston said. “Like I’m not sitting back eating bonbons like this is mission accomplished. I feel a sense of urgency, a sense of frustration and a sense of hunger to do far more, faster.”
He added that he’s encouraged by the results showing people believe the city is headed in the right direction.
In his 15-minute speech, he highlighted his successes as mayor, including his handling of the migrant crisis, a decrease in street homelessness, a historic drop in homicides last year and renewed foot traffic in downtown.
Johnston, who testified before a congressional committee about his handling of the migrant crisis, also pointed to his resistance to the “federal administration,” in a nod to President Donald Trump.
“When it comes to protecting our values and protecting our people, Denver will never back down from a fight,” he said.
He went on to build on promises he made during his State of the City speech in July, including the buildout of Park Hill Park and a vow to bring universal childcare to Denver within five years.
Johnston has not yet laid out a plan for how the city — which has struggled financially in recent years amid stagnating sales tax revenue — will pay for the new childcare system. Those budget constraints led Johnston to oversee a round of layoffs among city employees in 2025.
Johnston’s campaign will strive to qualify for the matching grants provided , which requires a candidate to lower their contribution limits to tamp down on the influence of high-dollar donations. He will face nine other candidates in the April election.
