Tuesday's random drawing to determine the order of appearance of candidates for Denver mayor on the municipal ballot put Lisa Calderon's name at the top of the list.
Does that give her any edge?
Two veteran observers of Denver city politics offered a mixed assessment.
Steve Welchert, a former legislative liaison for Gov. Richard D. Lamm and advisor to Denver Mayor Federico Peña, said that's "an old wives' tale."
But Michael Dino, who served as campaign manager for former mayor Wellington E. Webb, said it depends.
"It might be worth a bump of a point or two with the electorate," Dino said. "I think with Lisa Calderon at the top, that's got to give her a little wind in her sails."
The boost a candidate could get from being listed near the top may not be as tangible as it once was, said Dino, who noted that, since ballots are mailed to voters, they have more time to review the candidates and make a choice.
In the past, voters would instead be immediately confronted with a list of candidates at the polling precincts, leaving them to quickly scan the list and decide from there, he said.
Being listed at the top would also help if a candidate already enjoys some degree of name recognition, Dino said, who added that some candidates are more well known than others.
If a well-known candidate sits in the middle of a long list, that blunts the value of name recognition, he said.
"I do think likeability is a big factor at list in this general election," Dino said. "In the runoff, they'll make a judgement more on their ability to run the city, their capability and their smarts."
About half of the 17 candidates on the mayoral ballot have begun to separate themselves from the rest. In alphabetical order, they are former chamber boss Kelly Brough; criminal justice reform advocate and 2019 mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón; state Reps. Chris Hansen and Leslie Herod; former state Sen. Mike Johnston, who ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor and U.S. senator; at-large council member Debbie Ortega; Tattered Cover co-owner and CEO Kwame Spearman; human rights activist Ean Tafoya; and, veteran and small business owner Andy Rougeot, considered a potential player largely because of the six figures he's already sunk into his own campaign.
A runoff in June, which looks increasingly likely based on the city's voting history, will showcase the two candidates receiving the most votes in the April 4 general election.
The Denver Elections Division used a tumbler to determine the order of the candidates' names — there are 17 aspirants for mayor, 41 for other city offices — appearing on the ballot.
Here's how the names will appear, in order.
Mayor:
Lisa Calderon
Trinidad Rodriguez
Aurelio Martinez
Thomas Wolf
Al Gardner
Terrance Roberts
Kwame Spearman
Renate Behrens
Chris Hansen
Mike Johnston
James Walsh
Ean Tafoya
Andy Rougeot
Leslie Herod
Robert Treta
Deborah Ortega
Kelly Brough
City Auditor:
Timothy M. O'Brien
Erik J. Clarke
City Council At-Large
Travis Leiker
Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez
Penfield Tate
Sarah Parady
Jeff Walker
Marty Zimmerman
Will Chan
Dominic A. Diaz
Tim Hoffman
Council District 1:
Ava Truckey
Amanda Sandoval
Council District 2:
Kevin Flynn
Chris Herr
Tiffany Caudill
Council District 4:
Tony Pigford
Diana Romero Campbell
Council District 5:
Amanda Sawyer
Michael Hughes
Council District 7:
Nick Campion
Flor Alvidrez
Adam Estroff
Arthur May
Guy Padget
Council District 8:
Christian A. Stweard
Tyler Drum
Leslie Twarogowski
Shontel M. Lewis
Brad Revare
Council District 9:
Candi CdeBaca
Kwon Atlas
Darrell Watson
Council District 10:
Margie Morris
Shannon Hoffman
Chris Hinds
Noah Kaplan
Note the races for Council Districts 3, 6, 11 and the office of the Clerk and Recorder are uncontested.
