The Mayoral runoff in June will probably not resemble Denver’s version of the “Last Duel.” Then again, anything is possible. Although the first round was close, more than half the residents who bothered to vote cast ballots for one of the 14 now-eliminated candidates. It certainly isn’t safe to expect the race to remain neck-and-neck right to the finish line. The real loser in this contest was the Fair Elections Fund, which is intended, at least in part, to offer a genuine chance for a dark-horse candidate to thrust him or herself to the center of the campaign ring. Johnston and Brough’s one-two finish indicates that so long as independent expenditure committees and their dark-money donors can fund campaigns, money will provide the greatest influence in our elections. We can thank the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision for this distortion.
The truth is Denver voters know little more about the two finalists for mayor than they knew of the losing candidates, and that was gleaned from the 30-second commercials Brough and Johnston could afford to air. Neither campaign generated the quirky humor or heart-tugging stories that carried John Hickenlooper and Michael Hancock to City Hall. The current rivals possess strengths and weaknesses that will illuminate who they are and what their policy preferences are likely to be. The winner will serve as CEO of a multi-billion dollar business employing more than 12,000 workers. The good news is each of them seems up to the job....
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