Denver’s more moderate mayoral candidates pull ahead

By JESSE BEDAYN
Associated Press/Report for America

DENVER (AP) — Initial results show two of the more moderate Denver mayoral candidates in the unusually large and divergent field of 16 contestants have pulled far ahead. If early results Tuesday night hold, Kelly Brough, the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Johnston, a former state senator, could be pushed to a runoff election. They would leave behind the more progressive candidates in a largely left-leaning contestant field. Many votes remain to be counted. All are vying for an increasingly powerful position in a city that faces a rising crime rate not seen for decades, growing homeless encampments and dizzying housing costs.