DENVER — The ballots will be tallied on Tuesday for Denver’s runoff mayoral election, and both candidates gave their final appeals to voters Monday afternoon during 15-minute interviews with 9NEWS’ Kyle Clark.
Incumbent Michael Hancock highlighted his experiencing managing the city and as well its growth over the past eight years. His challenger, urban planner Jamie Giellis, argued that change is exactly what the city needs as it faces the hurdles that come with rapid development.
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This is the first Denver runoff election involving an incumbent mayor since the 1990s.
Voters can still cast their ballots, but it’s too late to mail them in. There are drop-off boxes throughout the city, and ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday. You can find a map of locations here: bit.ly/2CXOsYz
Watch the full videos below.
Michael Hancock
For the first time, Hancock acknowledged the possibility of losing the election during his conversation with Clark, saying he has nothing about his eight years in office to regret.
“Tomorrow, if it is that I don’t win, I won’t look back on this and say ‘I feel really bad about this,’” Hancock said. “It won’t shake me as a person. I’ve been enormously blessed.”
During the conversation, Hancock touted his experience managing the city’s budget and once again apologized for what he called a “bone-headed” comment he made about the sexual harassment allegations against him during a recent debate.
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Jamie Giellis
Can't see the full interview? Click or tap here: bit.ly/2XnR221
Giellis left the door open to running again should she lose, but called the election “very intense.”
“I was not from politics, I came from a different place,” she said. “I have to acknowledge how grueling it is on the family.”
During the conversation, she made an appeal to Denver’s voters, saying that she offered a change following four years of the same administration. She said she wanted to “disrupt the system” and bring new voices into the city’s future.
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