AURORA | State Rep. Jovan Melton was elected to a final term in Aurora’s House District 41, despite suggestions from fellow Democrats to resign his seat after it came to light he has two separate charges related to domestic violence.
Melton has not returned calls for comment since the scandal broke late last month.
Both of those cases are more than a decade old.
Melton won the race with roughly 62 percent of the vote. Results are still unofficial.
Melton faced a challenge from former Arapahoe County Commissioner Lynn Myers, who was chosen by county Republicans to fill the candidacy left vacant by Dahlia Weinstein, who dropped out of the race in late September due to medical reasons.
Ballots were already certified and printed by the time Weinstein dropped out. Every vote for Weinstein was applied to Myers.
“Having lived and worked in Aurora for 40 years, I just could not sit on the sidelines anymore,” Myers said on her website just after being appointed to the candidacy. “The citizens of HD 41 deserve a voice in the legislature that can work across the aisle and solve problems. That is how I approached my work as an Arapahoe County Commissioner, where we found ways to build consensus across the public and private sectors to build road, parks and libraries. And that is what I want to bring to this race.”
Even with just a few weeks to campaign, Myers raised a reported $15,310 — just about $4,000 short of what Melton raised in more than a year, according to the most recent Colorado Secretary of State records.
This will be Melton’s fourth and final term in the legislature, as lawmakers are term limited.