Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett and Councilmember Junie Joseph plan to run for House District 10 after incumbent Rep. Edie Hooton announced her withdrawal from the race.
Hooton has served almost three full two-year terms in the state Legislature after being elected in 2016. She made the decision to withdraw in large part because of the all-consuming nature of the job and her desire to spend more time with her family.
However, she also acknowledged that the political landscape played a role.
“It’s just going to be a lot tougher after the 2022 election for the kind of bills that I run,” Hooton said, naming consumer protection bills and protections for manufactured homeowners as examples of bills that passed but faced hurdles.
Upon making the decision to withdraw, Hooton said she contacted many of the people who expressed a potential interest in running for the seat in 2024.
Edie Hooton
Brockett, a former software developer, and Joseph, a family lawyer, are people she had conversations with, Hooton noted.
RTD Director Lynn Guissinger also has expressed an interest in the seat, though she has not formally filed or announced it. In a phone call with the Camera, Guissinger said she is “very interested” but is figuring out the details because she’s already on the ballot to retain her seat on the RTD board of directors.
Both Brockett and Joseph expressed their intention to campaign for the seat on social media after Hooton’s announcement on Saturday. Joseph has officially filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.
“This is an opportunity, right? To impact the city of Boulder at the state level,” she said. “We know some of the issues that we face … are beyond Boulder.”
Brockett expressed similar sentiments.
“I’ve been interested in running for the state Legislature at some point for a long time in order to work on the issues that I care about at the state level,” he said in an interview.
In his 6.5 years on the Boulder City Council, Brockett has learned a lot that he feels prepares him well for the role of state representative. He’s been involved with regional groups, including the Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition, and Brockett said he’s played an active role in Boulder’s legislative efforts.
“I’m very familiar with what goes on at the statehouse and feel I could hit the ground running Day 1,” he said.
If elected, climate change, housing, transportation and LGBTQ+ and abortion rights are generally among Brockett’s top priorities.
Likewise, Joseph said housing and homelessness and climate change and diversity are areas in which she’d hope to make an impact. She also has been involved with regional groups and currently is the chair of the Colorado Municipal League’s policy committee.
“To me, it’s about service. It’s about serving people,” she said. “I believe I will be a voice for the most marginalized. … I will represent my city in a way that is reflective of the community. We are not a monolith.”
Joseph and Brockett’s City Council terms both end in 2023. If either of them is elected, they would need to resign from their current position.
Regarding campaign funds, Hooton said she would likely return donations that she received in recent weeks because they haven’t been deposited yet. However, given that she is serving through the end of the year, Hooton said she would keep donations that came in earlier to help pay her aides. Additionally, she intends to donate some of the money to the candidate that’s selected as her replacement. If donors want a refund, they can request it through her campaign, Hooton said.
A vacancy committee with the Boulder County Democratic Party will select Hooton’s replacement for the general election ballot. The replacement must be chosen by at least Sept. 2 and all ballot information must be delivered to the Secretary of State by Sept. 9.
Amy Weinstein, acting chair of the BoCo Dems, said the organization is sorting through a few details and plans to release more procedural information on Tuesday. The goal is to be efficient but ensure a “level playing field” for any candidate who may be interested.
Whichever candidate is ultimately selected will face Republican candidate William DeOreo in the November general election.
