{"id":2746,"date":"2026-07-17T20:04:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T20:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T20:04:04","slug":"denver-councilwoman-shontel-lewis-will-run-against-mayor-mike-johnston-in-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746","title":{"rendered":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run for mayor next year rather than defend her council position, according to an affidavit .<\/p>\n

Read more Lettuce at Taco Bell in 5 states confirmed as a source of diarrhea-causing parasite<\/a><\/p>\n

The race will pit Lewis against incumbent Mayor Mike Johnston, who was elected in 2023 and has said he intends to run for a second term. She joins several other mayoral challengers, including repeat progressive candidate Lisa Calder\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

Lewis, who was endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America when she ran for council in 2023, may be hoping to ride the momentum of that group\u2019s recent successes in the city. DSA member Melat Kiros stunned the nation when she defeated longtime U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary election to represent Colorado\u2019s 1st Congressional District, which consists mostly of Denver voters, on June 30.<\/p>\n

Kiros joined a wave of other DSA-backed candidates across the country who have defeated more moderate Democrats in recent months or have active challenges pending. It\u2019s not yet clear whether the Denver DSA will endorse Lewis in her mayoral bid.<\/p>\n

Lewis teased the announcement by creating a new Instagram account for her campaign earlier in the week. The page, under the handle @shontelforthepeople, posted a video with clips of Lewis interacting with the community on Wednesday. At the end of the reel, text appears that reads: \u201cShontel Lewis for District 8,\u201d with the letters of \u201cDistrict 8\u201d then disappearing, replaced by an ellipsis \u2014 leaving it as \u201cShontel Lewis for \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

That page wasn\u2019t updated as of Friday morning, and Lewis didn\u2019t appear to have any formal announcement event for her mayoral campaign scheduled. She didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Lewis was elected to represent Denver\u2019s District 8, which consists of much of northeast Denver, including Central Park, Park Hill and Montbello, in 2023. Her term doesn\u2019t end until mid-2027, but since she can\u2019t concurrently run for reelection to that seat, her decision to run for mayor means she won\u2019t serve another term in that role.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawmakers demand answers after \u2018bombshell\u2019 report of ICE officer shooting in Maine<\/a><\/p>\n

Before joining the council, Lewis served as an elected director for the Regional Transportation District and as vice president at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Lewis has been one of the most progressive voices on the left-leaning council. She has helped shape several major council decisions, including recent municipal sentencing changes, a ban on law enforcement using facial coverings and the city ending a contract with the Salvation Army. She has also made a point of calling out every instance in which the city has reached a legal settlement over police misconduct, reading out a total of all taxpayer dollars that have been used to pay out those settlements each year.<\/p>\n

Johnston told The Denver Post last year that he planned to run for reelection, but he hasn\u2019t yet formally filed for the position. A spokesman for Johnston sent out a statement Friday in response to Lewis\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor Johnston has taken on Denver\u2019s toughest challenges\u2014and delivered,\u201d said Jon Ewing. \u201cIn just three years, his administration has reduced street homelessness to historic lows, dramatically reduced violent crime and auto theft, and stood up to Donald Trump\u2019s attacks on Denver\u2019s values. There is more work ahead, and Mayor Johnston will keep fighting alongside Denverites to make our city more affordable, vibrant, and full of opportunity for everyone who calls it home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight other people have filed paperwork to run, including Calder\u00f3n, who has run for mayor in the two previous elections.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Outrage after ICE agents tackle man at Las Vegas airport<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run for mayor next year rather than defend her council position, pitting her against incumbent Mayor Mike Johnston, who intends to run for a second term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nDenver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run for mayor next year rather than defend her council position, pitting her against incumbent Mayor Mike Johnston, who intends to run for a second term.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colorado Springs Moverss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\"},\"headline\":\"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746\"},\"wordCount\":651,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746\",\"name\":\"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=2746#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colorado Springs Moverss\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss","og_description":"Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run for mayor next year rather than defend her council position, pitting her against incumbent Mayor Mike Johnston, who intends to run for a second term.","og_url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746","og_site_name":"Colorado Springs Moverss","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c"},"headline":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027","datePublished":"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746"},"wordCount":651,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp","articleSection":["News","Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746","name":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027 - Colorado Springs Moverss","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-17T20:04:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/923c6cb3a526490cda116ac753a07de7.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2746#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis will run against Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/","name":"Colorado Springs Moverss","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}