Aurora Dems Weissman, Fields and Carter lead in primary returns

AURORA | Arapahoe County ballot returns show state Rep. Mike Weissman leading Idris Keith for state Senate District 28, a race awash in dark money for the Democratic nod. Michael Carter is ahead of Bryan Lindstrom in House District 36, and Rhonda Fields is leading Hashim Coates for the District 5 Arapahoe County Commission seat.

At 7 a.m. Wednesday, Weissman led Keith by about 6 points, or 450 votes.

“I am deeply grateful tonight to the voters of north Aurora for choosing me to be their advocate at the state Capitol,” Weissman said in a statement. “I will honor that confidence by continuing to fight hard for policies that expand the circle of opportunity and help solve problems that confront the people of our city and our state.”

If confirmed the winner, Weissman faces Republican Pedro Espinoza in the November election.

Voter turnout appears to be light for the June 25 primary election among three races in Aurora’s largest county, reaching about 20% of eligible voters, according to county clerk records.

In Arapahoe County, which encompasses the largest part of Aurora, about 81,000 votes had been cast by Wednesday morning.

The bulk of voters returning Arapahoe County ballots so far are older and mostly registered as Democrats.

About 28,000 unaffiliated voters cast ballots in the election as of Wednesday. In Colorado, unaffiliated voters can make choices in primary elections in either party, but not both.

Aurora voters decided three local primaries this year, all Democratic. There are contests in state Senate District 28, House District 36 and the District 5 Arapahoe County Commission seat.

All three Arapahoe County Democratic races have drawn unusually large amounts of so-called dark money from independent election committees, according to multiple recent reports.

The Colorado Sun last week reported that more than $350,000 of dark money from unnamed donors poured into the Senate District 28 Democratic contest between veteran state Rep. Mike Weissman and Pinnacol Assurance attorney Idris Keith. Over the weekend the Sun reported that Colorado dialysis magnate Ken Thiry was behind $1.1 million in last-minute spending for contests across the state benefiting candidates from both parties seen as more moderate than their competitors.

Arapahoe County District 5 Commission Democratic Primary

In the race to represent most of Aurora on Arapahoe County’s Board of County Commissioners, seasoned state legislator Rhonda Fields faced off against community activist and political consultant Hashim Coates for the Democratic nomination.

The first round of results released Tuesday showed Fields with a sizable lead over Coates, claiming about 70.2% of the vote to Coates’ 29.8%.

Fields expressed gratitude Wednesday for the large majority of voters who selected her to be the Democratic nominee, crediting her success so far to her years of policymaking experience and focus on issues affecting Arapahoe County residents such as affordable housing, access to mental health care and education.

“I think people know who I am,” she said. “All of the work I’ve done over the years, I think people saw that and said, ‘I want to continue her service at this capacity.'”

Coates said he was proud of his campaign, which he said revolved around the real-life concerns of county voters, attributing his apparent loss to the infusion of money supporting Fields as well as personal attacks.

“I ran a people-oriented, ethical race that was focused on the issues,” he said. “I’m sad for the people. … If you look at my history of advocacy, it’s always been just for the people.”

He added that he was taking the results in stride because “my identity isn’t wrapped up in an elected position or in politics.”

The winner of the primary contest will likely have their work cut out for them Nov. 5, as Aurora has for years chosen Democrats to occupy the District 5 seat. Like Fields, current Commissioner Bill Holen is term limited.

Also vying for the seat in November will be Eliseo Gonzalez of the Libertarian Party, the only other candidate who has filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office to run in District 5.

House District 36 Democratic Primary

Two Aurora Democrats battled for the Democratic nomination for House District 36. 

Michael Carter, an attorney who currently sits on the board for Aurora Public Schools, is running against APS history teacher Bryan Lindstrom. 

In early returns, Carter had the lead.

Carter was elected to the board in 2021 and his term ends in 2025. 

According to his campaign website, Carter served in the U.S. Army. After, he attended the University of New Mexico and graduated with degrees in African American studies and political science. After graduating from the University of Denver with a law degree, he worked as a public defense attorney and private criminal defense attorney. Carter also served on the Judicial Performance Commission in Arapahoe County.  

Carter is married with three children. 

Lindstrom was born and raised in Aurora, according to his campaign website. He graduated from Gateway High School and attended the University of Northern Colorado.  After graduating, he worked as an educator, spending the last nine years at Hinkley High School. He also served on the board of directors for the Aurora Education Association. 

Both House District candidates have raised and spent tens of thousands of dollars so far for their respective campaigns. 

There is no Republican candidate for the district race registered as of June 25.

State Senate District 28

Two Aurora Democrats are campaigning to represent Senate District 28 in the upcoming primary elections, state Rep. Mike Weissman and Pinnacol Assurance attorney Idris Keith.

In early returns, Weissman held the lead.

Mike Weissman has represented House District 36 for the past eight years and is term limited.

He has lived in eastern Aurora for nearly two decades. 

He graduated from Tufts University in 1999 and from the University of Colorado Law School in 2014, according to his LinkedIn page. 

Idris Keith and his family have lived in Aurora for over a decade, according to his candidate website. He previously served on the Aurora Citizens’ Advisory Budget Committee. 

The winner faces Republican Pedro Espinoza.