Candidate roster for Senate and House seats is shaping up
The presidential race will be the only national race on the statewide Nov. 6 ballot, but a bevy of candidates and questions are poised to compete for the attention of Aurora voters this election season.
Up for election this year are candidates in Congressional District 6, which now covers most of Aurora. Arapahoe and Adams County government seats that represent Aurora are also up for election.
Aurora has picked up a few new legislative districts as a result of the impassioned reapportionment debate last year. The redistricting process, equally as contentious, has put Aurora almost wholly in Congressional District 6, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora. Aurora previously straddled both CD 6 and CD 7, represented by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden.
Below is a list of candidates in Aurora races according to Secretary of State and Federal Election Commission filings, current as of April 9. But the list of candidates is fickle, and could change before the June 26 primaries, where voters will select Republican and Democratic nominees for each race.
Congressional District 6:
Incumbent candidate U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora will be challenged by current Democratic state Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver. Coffman is a U.S. Army veteran and founded a property management firm. Miklosi works for Project CURE in Centennial, a collector and distributor of donated medical supplies and equipment. Miklosi currently lives in Denver but plans to move to Aurora. Independent candidates John DeGraffenried and Kathy Polhemus also filed their candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. Polhemus is an Englewood resident and the president of the board of directors for Dress for Success, which provides disadvantaged women with professional attire. DeGraffenried has been working in the Information Technology field since 1999 and currently works for a small IT company called 3T systems.
State Senate District 25:
This district covers much of Adams County and north Aurora. Communities within the district include Aurora, Bennett, Brighton and Commerce City, as well as Todd Creek and Watkins. About 29 percent of registered voters are Republican, about 37 percent are Democratic and about 34 percent are unaffiliated.
Brighton resident Russell Carr, former candidate for Brighton School Board Director and small business owner, is vying for the Republican nomination against Strasburg resident John Sampson. Sampson is retired from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.
Democratic incumbent candidate Mary Hodge, also a resident of Brighton, is running for re-election. Hodge is a former schoolteacher and business manager.
Senate District 26:
This senate district, new to Aurora voters, covers most of the Arapahoe County portion of Aurora, as well as Centennial, Englewood and Greenwood Village. About 34.8 percent of registered voters are Republican, 34.6 percent are Democratic and about 30 percent are unaffiliated.
Incumbent Democratic candidate Linda Newell, a Littleton resident, will be challenged by Greenwood Village resident and Republican David Kerber. Newell is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and Kerber is a former Greenwood Village City Councilman. “There is a desire out there for new candidates with new ideas in the 26th District,” Kerber said in a statement. “I know that my neighbors want a common- sense leader who understands the issues that affect our daily lives—the economy, education and the environment.”
Senate District 28:
The Aurora portion of Arapahoe County is the only community represented in this senate district, with a population of 140,629. About 31 percent of registered voters are Republican, 37 percent are Democratic and 31 percent are unaffiliated. The seat is currently held by state Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, who is term limited.
Aurora residents and Republicans Arthur Carlson and John Lyons are competing for the Republican nomination against Democratic candidate Nancy Todd, also an Aurora resident. Carlson works for Rocky Mountain Orthodontics and is the vice chairman of the Aurora Open Space Advisory Board. “I want to reverse the damage that the Democrats have done to our economy,” Carlson said. Job creation, fighting reckless government spending and reversing legislative mandates that have driven jobs out of the state will be his primary platforms as he campaigns for Senate.
Lyons is a former diesel technician who is now attending the Community College of Aurora to obtain his teaching license. Todd is the current state Representative for House District 41 and was a professional educator for 25 years in the Cherry Creek School District.
Senate District 29:
This district has a population of about 140,780 and covers Aurora as well as Byers, Deer Trail, Strasburg and Watkins, among other communities. About 30 percent of the registered voters are Republican, 40 percent are Democratic and 30 percent are unaffiliated. Democratic incumbent candidate Morgan Carroll, an Aurora resident, will be challenged by Republican candidate and Aurora resident William Ross. Carroll is an attorney who previously served in the Colorado House between 2005 and 2008.
Ross is a Vietnam veteran and former president of the Homeowners Association of the Franz Klammer Lodge in Telluride. He’s lived in Aurora since 2002.
House District 30:
The population in this district is about 78,000, with residents living in the Adams County portion of Aurora, Commerce City and Thornton. About 28 percent of registered voters are Republican, about 38 percent are Democratic and about 33 percent are unaffiliated. The seat currently belongs to state Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Aurora, who is in the running for House District 56.
Candidates in this race are Libertarian Shea Lantz, an Aurora resident, Democrat Jenise May, also an Aurora resident, and Republican Mike Sheely, a Bennett resident.
Lantz is in retail sales and May is the deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Sheely is a retired engineer and is currently serving his second term as vice president of the Bennett School Board. He said his 11 grandchildren were his primary motivation for entering the race. “I’m not happy with the direction that anything is going, not only at the federal level but at the state level,” he said. “I want to preserve the country that I grew up in for my grandkids.”
House District 36:
The population in this district is about 77,000 with 30 percent of Republican registered voters, 38 percent Democratic and 32 percent unaffiliated.Communities within the district are Aurora and Aetna Estates. Incumbent Democratic candidate Su Ryden, an Aurora resident, will be challenged by Libertarian candidate and Aurora resident Wesley Long, a software developer and business analyst. Long said one of the reasons for jumping into the race was because he is against corporate welfare and government waste.
“I think there’s way too much of the Colorado state budget that’s given away to private companies in the name of creating jobs and growing businesses,” he said. Ryden is the owner of Ryden & Associates Integrated Marketing.
House District 39:
This district encompasses a small portion of Aurora that’s in Douglas County, as well as Cripple Creek, Florissant, Franktown, Woodland Park and several other communities.
There are about 77,000 people living in the district. About 50 percent are registered Republicans, 20 percent are Democratic and 30 percent are unaffiliated. Candidates in the race are Lu Ann Busse, a Republican resident of Denver, Polly Lawrence, a Republican resident of Littleton and Donna Price, a Libertarian resident of Littleton. Busse worked in the medical implant and device industry and started a small business and Lawrence is an officer and board member of Lawrence Construction. Price could not be reached for comment. The seat is currently held by state Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, who will be running for Senate District 27 this year.
House District 40:
Residents of the Arapahoe County portion of Aurora and Foxfield live in this district of about 77,400 people. About 31 percent of registered voters are Republican and 36 percent are Democratic. About 32 percent are unaffiliated. Incumbent Republican candidate Cindy Acree will be vying to keep her seat as Democratic challengers John Buckner and PK Kaiser compete for the Democratic nomination. All of them are Aurora residents.
Acree is a small business owner and former professor at the University of Denver College of Law. Buckner is a retired Cherry Creek Schools principal. Kaiser, who is in real estate and financial management, ran and lost a campaign for this seat in 2010.
House District 41:
This district has a population of about 76,000 people and covers the Arapahoe County portion of Aurora. About 28 percent of registered voters are Republican, about 41 percent are Democratic and about 29 percent are unaffiliated. State Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, currently holds the seat but is campaigning for a post in the Colorado Senate. Her husband, Democratic Aurora resident and retired physical education teacher Terry, is a candidate for the seat. Democrats Andrew Bateman and Jovan Melton are also competing for the Democratic nomination. Bateman is a member of Aurora’s Citizens Budget Advisory Committee and served as president of the Arapahoe County Young Democrats. Melton is the founder of Aurora-based Emerson Consulting & Strategies. His company provides consulting services to medical device companies.
Republican candidate Adrienne Markopolos and Independent candidate Maria J Fay are also in the running.
Markopolos was a former candidate for Aurora City Council and is a therapist employed by Jefferson Center for Mental Health. She said she’s running for the seat because residents are facing “unprecedented issues.” “I think I have the ability to look at each issue and weigh it from all sides,” she said. Her major campaign platforms will be job creation and education. “I’m going to look at out-of-the box solutions for stimulating the economy,” she said.
Fay is self-employed and works in internet sales. All of the candidates are Aurora residents.
House District 42:
About 76,000 people live in this district which covers the Arapahoe County portion of Aurora. About 22 percent of voters are registered Republicans, about 48 percent are registered Democrats and about 30 percent are unaffiliated. State Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora currently represents this district and she had no challengers as of press time. Fields has served as a Regional Training Manager for United Airlines and was the first black woman elected to the state Legislature to represent House District 42.
House District 44:
This district includes the Douglas County portion of Aurora and other communities including Acres Green, Lone Tree, Parker and Stonegate. About 79,000 people live in the district. About 47 percent are registered Republican, about 22 percent are Democratic and about 31 percent are unaffiliated.
Parker residents Jarrod Austin, a Libertarian, and incumbent Republican candidate Chris Holbert are in the race. Holbert is the president of The Earn Principle LLC, where he provides campaign management. Austin is a software engineer.
House District 56:
This district straddles Adams and Arapahoe counties, with about 79,000 people. Communities within the district include Aurora, Bennett, Brighton and Deer Trail, among others. About 40 percent of registered voters are Republican, 27 percent are Democratic and about 32 percent are unaffiliated. Incumbent Democratic candidate Millie Hamner, a Frisco resident and retired educator, is in the running against another Democrat, David Rose, a Brighton resident. Rose is an educator and active community member in Brighton. Libertarian candidate William Hiltscher, a Watkins resident, and Kevin Priola, a Republican and Henderson resident are also in the running.
Hiltscher is a civil engineer. Priola is the vice president of Henderson-based Priola Greenhouses and the current state Representative for House District 30.
Arapahoe County Commissioner District 3:
Incumbent Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld, a Republican and Centennial resident, is running against Centennial resident Mollie Martin. Bockenfeld was elected in 2008 and he oversees the Human Resources and Public Works and Development departments.
Arapahoe County Commissioner District 5:
Incumbent candidate Bill Holen, an Aurora resident and Democrat, is currently the only person in the running. Holen was appointed in January by the Arapahoe County Democratic Party to fill former Commissioner Frank Weddig’s post.
Adams County Commissioner District 2:
This seat is currently held by Commissioner Alice Nichol, a Denver Democrat who is seeking re-election. Six others are in the race: Democrat Charles Tedesco, a Commerce City resident; Republican Janice Pawlowski, a Brighton resident; James Fariello, a member of the American Constitution Party and a Brighton resident; Republican Larry Ford, a Henderson resident; Republican Donnia Howell, a Brighton resident; and Republican Neal Mancuso, a Bennett resident.
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.
Information from: Secretary of State, Federal Election Commission, state of Colorado.