The 2027 race for Denver mayor is officially underway as longtime progressive candidate Lisa Calderón on Tuesday announced her bid for the city’s top executive seat.

This is her third time running for mayor.

Calderón ran against Mayor Mike Johnston in the 2023 Denver municipal election but finished third, receiving 18.21% of the vote — two points and 3,200 votes short of qualifying for a runoff with Johnston.

“Denver residents are asking for leadership that makes our city work for everyone,” she said in a statement.

“Across neighborhoods, people are urging me to run and telling me the same thing,” Calderón said in the statement. “Despite Mike Johnston’s campaign promises, things have only gotten harder. The cost of living keeps rising, the city faces serious financial challenges, and homelessness has been pushed out of sight rather than solved. And when people have pushed back against the mayor’s decisions, they have been retaliated against or entirely ignored.”

A Johnston spokesperson replied to Calderón’s attacks.

“As ICE threatens cities and President Trump attacks the rule of law, Mayor Johnston is leading the fight for Denver and our values while still delivering historic wins for our city,” Jon Ewing, a Johnston spokesperson, said in a statement to The Denver Gazette. “He’s taken on our toughest problems, achieved the largest reduction in street homelessness of any major American city, cut violent crime and auto theft in half, and made Denver a more affordable and vibrant place to live, work, and explore. The work is never over, but we would put our record up against anyone’s.”

Calderón, who has been a critic of both the Johnston administration and previous Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration, said the deciding factor in entering the race was Johnston’s decision to lay off Denver City employees. 

“Someone has to stand up and fight for workers,” she said.

Calderón, who is also a former city employee, served from 2019 to 2021 as chief of staff to Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca and has been active in helping organize workers and local unions to oppose changes made by the city’s Career Service Board that prioritize skill sets and performance over seniority — a point of contention just weeks beore citywide layoffs were to take effect.

City officials said previously the updates were intended to ensure the city met the needs of its residents “with skilled, knowledgeable workers,” particularly in light of its projected $200 million budget shortfall in 2026.

Union members accused the Johnston administration of “changing the rules” before the city’s voter-approved collective bargaining could begin. 

“He (Johnston) repeatedly misleads voters and allows billionaires and lobbyists to influence neighborhood decisions,” Calderón said. “Someone has to stand up and take him on. I came very close to beating him once, and I am the best person to challenge him and win.”

According to Calderón’s campaign webpage, she plans to focus on citywide concerns around housing, cost of living, and safety and justice.

In 2021, Calderón became executive director of Emerge Colorado, a training program for Democratic women running for office. She currently teaches in the criminology department at Regis University and consults on legal and policy matters.