Amid flood of ‘dark money,’ harsh campaigns, Aurora sees just one political upset Tuesday

AURORA | Locally, unofficial primary election counts show only one upset among Aurora contests, despite bitter fighting in some races under loads of outside advertising dollars.

Unofficial returns from the 2026 Colorado Primary Election make clear the once-underdog Attorney General Phil Weiser has beaten Sen. Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination for governor. The Associated Press called the race for Weiser early in the evening.

“We did the hard work, and we proved the establishment wrong. Words can convey the gratitude I feel to everyone in this room — this victory belongs to everyone of you, for getting out, knocking on doors, nudging friends to get out and vote…” Weiser said in his victory speech. “This movement is what democracy looks like. You all sent a very clear message: the future of Colorado will not be decided by out-of-state billionaires… Colorado’s future belongs to all of us.”

Weiser particularly emphasized his commitment to getting corporate money “out of politics” and “making sure government works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.” 

Across Aurora and its three counties, Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas, primary voters followed statewide trends in every regional and statewide race, according to returns as of Wednesday afternoon.

Locally, returns show Democratic challenger Sarah Woodson lurching in front of state Rep. Mandy Lindsay for the House District 42 seat, with 67% of the vote.

Voter counts so far show Arapahoe County commissioners Leslie Summey and Jessica Campbell handily winning their seats against Democratic challengers Maya Wheeler and Angela Garland.

In the also hotly contested nomination race for House District 41, incumbent Jamie Jackson is winning the contest with 55% of the vote against APS board director Anne Keke.

In the race for the Republican nomination for governor, state Rep. Barbara Kirkmeyer is holding a slim lead over Victor Marx, and state Rep. Scott Bottoms is trailing. The race is so close pundits are talking about an automatic recount.

In other statewide races, Sen. John Hickenlooper won with a 9-point lead over progressive challenger state Sen. Julie Gonzales for the Democratic nomination.

Likewise, Secretary of State Jena Griswold is holding a huge lead over three challengers for the Democratic Party nomination for state attorney general.

In the two-party contests for Colorado secretary of state, Amanda Gonzales has pulled ahead in the contest for the Democratic nomination against Jessie Danielson. For the Libertarian nomination, Alex Astley is ahead of Sean Vadney with 61% of the vote.

Outside of Aurora, what appears to be the biggest upset is in Denver’s House District 1, where progressive newcomer  Melat Kiros beat veteran Rep. Diana DeGette for the Democratic nomination.

County commission Democratic nomination races

In Arapahoe County, two commissioners are up for re-election, and both commissioners are Democrats. Commissioner Jessica Campbell faced off against Cherry Creek School Board Director Angela Garland for the District 2 seat nomination, and Commissioner Leslie Summey was challenged by Maya Wheeler, a nonprofit group leader and community advocate, for the nomination for the District 4 seat. 

With preliminary votes counted, Campbell leads Garland 66% to 33%. District 4 is closer, with the incumbent Summey leading Wheeler by roughly 10 points. 

This was never about me, it was about making sure government works for people,” Campbell told the Sentinel. “We have a diversity of needs and a diverse population in a variety of ways. I had a plan and a vision for a healthy, thriving, and sustainable Arapahoe County, and I am glad that Democratic voters, both party and unaffiliated, see that I am making government work for them and agree with the vision. I’m excited for the general election and [the opportunity to] have a broader conversation with the electorate. Hopefully, we will solidify a win there and work for another four years for the people of Arapahoe County.” 

Campbell said she plans to address issues surrounding traffic, economic development, and “move our housing efforts, not just for rentals, but home ownership”. Additionally, Campbell said she will continue to steward fledgling programs she helped get off the ground in her first term. 

On the outside spending in the race, Campbell said that she had “already had faith in [Arapahoe County] voters would see a different pattern in this election” and that the roughly $227,000 spent in a county commission primary race was “unprecedented.” 

Summey told the Sentinel she was appreciative to the voters and volunteers for her campaign. “Thank you to all of the folks that knocked doors, that gave up their time, talents, and treasures to support my work,” Summey said. “I can’t do anything alone and it’s because of the District 4 residents that I am able to move forward and continue my work for the community. Onward to November. Summey faces off against the GOP nominee, Sonda “Sunny” Banka.

In Adams County, the incumbent commissioner for District 4, Steve O’Dorisio, is term-limited and can’t run for re-election. Running for his seat are two first-time political candidates: Tyler Quick, an educator, social scientist, and union organizer, and Karen DeAguero, a nonprofit leader who founded Arvada Voices, a community advocacy group. With the first round of counts in, DeAguero leads Quick by about 800 votes.

State House and Senate nomination races in Aurora

Republican candidate Danielle Lammon is so far the GOP nominee for Colorado Senate District 27 to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Tom Sullivan in November.

Preliminary election results show Lammon with 52% of the vote, while candidate Darryl Gibbs has 47% of the vote. 

Lammon said she is grateful for all of the support she has received, adding she has already started campaigning against Sullivan.

“I’m really excited to move on to the general election. It’s been a good primary, and I’m ready for the next four months to win SD27,” Lammon said. 

Lammon said that if she is elected, she will focus on the issues voters care about, like lowering cost of living and supporting businesses.

“We all know that Sen. Sullivan is just focused on the one issue, and that’s not what our citizens in the district are concerned about,” she said. “They’re concerned about affordability, they’re concerned about public safety and the people protecting them. My goal as the next senator is to actually listen to the constituents and represent everybody in the state of Colorado, not just my own personal issues.”

Lammon was referring to Sullivan having sponsored several consequential gun-control bills over the past several years. Sullivan’s son was fatally shot by James Holmes during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Sullivan has since become a staunch supporter of gun control.

Lammon is the founder and CEO of the Aurora Fire Foundation, which supports first responders and public safety initiatives, and the founder of the Buddy Publishing Foundation, which promotes literacy programs.

Gibbs served in the military and law enforcement before transitioning to small-business ownership. Gibbs ran to be lieutenant governor in 2022 with Danielle Neuschwanger for the American Constitution Party, as well as for Colorado House District 40 in 2024. 

Lammon says education and literacy would be among her leading priorities. Another issue she would prioritize is defending Second Amendment rights and opposing what she describes as overreaching gun restrictions on law-abiding citizens. 

VOTE 2026 - State House and Senate Primary Races in Aurora

Lammon also emphasized support for law enforcement and opposes policies she says have weakened public safety. In addition, Lammon says she would advocate for parental rights and pledges to vote to defend Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, reduce regulations, cut government spending, and lower taxes. 

Incumbent Rep. Jamie Jackson is so far winning the Democratic nomination to run for House District 41, fending off a challenge from fellow Democrat Anne Keke, an Aurora Public Schools Board member.

The latest round of election results show Jackson leading with 55% of the vote to Keke’s 45%.  

Jackson told the Sentinel that she is grateful for the voters’ support and “ready to get back to work lowering costs for families.”

“I’m just really humbled and honored by the trust that the people of HD 41 have placed in me,” Jackson said. “This victory really belongs to the people, it belongs to every voter who looked beyond the manufactured narratives to examine my record, and chose proven leadership and results.”

Jackson’s re-election came as part of a progressive trend from voters, where several candidates across state races overcame targeted advertisements and spending from dark money groups.

Jackson said the results are a rebuttal from voters against dark money tactics and misinformation. Ads from dark money groups spread false information about Jackson’s work for a contractor for the GEO Group, which operates private prisons and immigration detention centers. Jackson worked for a contractor for GEO in rehabilitation services from 2014 to 2021.

“The community really stood up and sent a clear message, not just in HD 41 but across the state, that our communities can’t be bought, that our democracy is really stronger than any special interests, and that when folks come together with a shared commitment to truth and service, they prevail,” she said.

Some of the policies Jackson plans to focus on at the statehouse include expanding healthcare access, including mental health and substance abuse services, supporting seniors with cost of living and investing in education. 

Jackson said she hopes to collaborate with Keke on supporting public schools and expanding funding for teachers.

Jackson is a Denver native who moved to Aurora in 2010. She is the founder and CEO of Premier Senior Support, and she was appointed to represent House District 41 in 2025 through a vacancy committee.

Keke told the Sentinel that she wasn’t surprised by the results. She pointed to the progressive trend from voters and the dark money ads as two factors impacting the results.

Keke, an immigrant from Côte d’Ivoire, has lived in Aurora since 2001 and is an instructor of career readiness for Colorado Early Colleges with a background in criminal justice. She currently serves on the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education.

“I want to say I was (surprised), but at the same time I was not surprised because of the way I was treated by our leaders,” Keke said, noting that other candidates and elected officials did not denounce what she called racist ads.

The race saw significant spending from independent expenditure committees, which are dark money groups that support or oppose candidates, including One-Main-Street-linked groups and the Colorado Labor Action committee.

According to campaign finance reports, Colorado Labor Action spent roughly $28,400 on mailers supporting Jackson between May 28 and June 10, as well as another almost $27,000 in June on mailers opposing Keke.

Fighting for a Better Aurora, linked to One Main Street, spent roughly $97,400 on advertisements supporting Keke and opposing Jackson between May 28 and June 10, according to state TRACER campaign expenditure records. In addition, almost $24,000 was spent on mailers reported after that.

The advertisements drew condemnation from both candidates for including misinformation and one mailer even garnered an allegation that it relied on racist tropes because of an accusation that the photo used darkened Keke’s skin. The group behind the ad denied the accusation.

Keke congratulated Jackson on her win and said she plans to continue serving the community on the Aurora Public Schools board.

Some of Jackson’s policy priorities include mental health and substance use treatment, affordability, protections for elders, and criminal and juvenile justice reform. During her time in office so far, Jackson has passed legislation to expand healthcare access and substance use treatment, as well as remove court costs for juveniles.

For the general election in November, the winner so far has no challengers.

During the primary, Jackson drew questions for her time working for a contractor for the GEO Group, which owns private prisons and immigration detention centers. Jackson worked in re-entry services for the GEO contractor from 2014 to 2021. 

Jackson said her time there gave her perspective on the importance of offering resources to people who were incarcerated. She added that she had no involvement or knowledge of the conditions in detention centers.

Jackson’s campaign pitch focused on her legislative experience and track record, including expanding healthcare access and substance use treatment, as well as removing court costs for juveniles. 

Challenger Sarah Woodson is leading in her race against incumbent Rep. Mandy Lindsay for the Democratic nomination to run for the House District 42 seat in November.

The latest round of election results show Woodson with almost 67% of the vote, while Lindsay has received 32%.

Woodson told the Sentinel that she is thankful for the voters’ support, saying she was not surprised by the win because of the validation she heard from voters during her campaign.

“I’m happy that they have put their trust in me, and that they feel confident that I’m going to go and do exactly what I said I’m going to do, that I’m going to work on the policies and lead with integrity, so I am just beyond grateful for them,” Woodson said.

Woodson said her top three policies that she intends to prioritize at the Capitol are expanding mental health training and resources for police, addressing the state’s construction defects law and creating an international festival and tax credits to support local economic development.

Woodson, who grew up in the district, is a community activist and founder of The Color of Cannabis, an organization focused on education, advocacy and policy initiatives related to social equity and small-business access. Woodson also owns a mobile cannabis lounge in Denver, the Cannabis Experience.

She said her experience lobbying at the legislature will help her hit the ground running as a first-time representative.

Woodson also thanked Lindsay for her service to the community.

“She did her best to serve, and it is not an easy thing,” Woodson said. “I look forward to working with her when she’s ready, because I’m sure this race was hard on her as well.”

Lindsay was first appointed to represent House District 42 in 2022 through a vacancy committee. She has a background as a community organizer and legislative aide, as well as working in healthcare. 

On Wednesday, Lindsay told the Sentinel that the election results were disappointing. 

Lindsay said she believes the negative ads about her, which focused on an ethics complaint she faces, were the reason for her loss. 

During the primary, Lindsay was the target of a significant amount of dark money advertising opposing her campaign and drawing voters’ attention to an ethics complaint made against her. The ads and a website, paid for by Promoting Progressive Women, falsely claimed that Lindsay laundered money.

In May, a House Ethics Committee found that Lindsay likely violated ethical guidelines by mismanaging Democratic House caucus funds. The committee hasn’t determined if Lindsay, the caucus co-chair, is guilty and didn’t find any criminal behavior.

“There wasn’t anything about me as a legislator or any of my policies. The negative ads focused 100% entirely on this ethics committee complaint by one member of my caucus that has not gone through the process, and that is actually provably false, and that is really sad,” Lindsay said. “I think they smelled blood in the water and they went for it.”

Lindsay said the ethics complaint process will continue to play out and she looks forward to proving her side.

“This had been a debacle on all ends from when it started, and so for me, it’s important for the facts to be laid out on the table in a very public way, so finally, this can be done,” she said.

Lindsay also said she is reconsidering supporting Woodson in the general election because of the response she had to the misinformation spread on her behalf. Candidates are prohibited from coordinating with independent expenditure committees.

Lindsay previously said she would endorse Woodson in the general election. 

“I did not like the way she ran her campaign and didn’t disavow some of the things that were really horrible,” Lindsay said, adding that she has “serious concerns about a person who will do anything to win.”

In her time in office, Lindsay has passed more than 60 bills covering things like housing, healthcare, education and transportation. She has advocated for working families, education, affordable housing and criminal justice reform.

Lindsay said she still hopes Woodson “does well for the benefit of our community.”

Woodson, who grew up in the district, is a community activist and founder of The Color of Cannabis, an organization focused on education, advocacy and policy initiatives related to social equity and small-business access. Woodson also owns a mobile cannabis lounge in Denver, the Cannabis Experience.

The priorities Woodson lists on her website include juvenile justice, education, mental health, housing, economic development and affordability.

In her time in office, Lindsay has passed more than 60 bills covering things like housing, healthcare, education and transportation. She has advocated for working families, education, affordable housing and criminal justice reform.

During the primary, Lindsay was the target of a significant amount of dark money advertising opposing her campaign and drawing voters’ attention to an ethics complaint made against her.

In May, a House Ethics Committee found that Lindsay likely violated ethical guidelines by mismanaging Democratic House caucus funds. The committee hasn’t determined if Lindsay, the caucus co-chair, is guilty and didn’t find any criminal behavior.

For the general election in November, the winner of the race would so far not face a challenger.