Mike Johnston | |
|---|---|
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| 46thMayor of Denver | |
| Assumed office July 17, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Hancock |
| Member of theColorado Senate from the33rd district | |
| In office May 29, 2009 – January 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Groff |
| Succeeded by | Angela Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Christopher Johnston (1974-11-17)November 17, 1974 (age 51) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Yale University (BA,JD) Harvard University (MEd) |
Michael Christopher Johnston (born November 17, 1974) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th and currentmayor ofDenver, Colorado. A member of theDemocratic Party, he won the2023 Denver mayoral election.[1] he defeated Kelly Brough in the June 6runoff election.[2]
Johnston first entered politics when he served in theColorado Senate, representing the33rd district from 2009 to 2017. He was a candidate forgovernor of Colorado in2018, losing in the primary toJared Polis, who went on to win the general election. He was also a candidate for theU.S. Senate in2020,[3][4][5] before withdrawing from the race in September 2019.[6]
One of four children, Johnston was born in Oklahoma City on November 17, 1974, and raised inVail, Colorado, the son of Sarah "Sally" (née Cox) and Paul Ross Johnston.[7][failed verification][8][9] His father was aU.S. Army veteran and businessman who served on the town council for more than a decade and then as mayor from 1983 to 1987.[10]
After graduating fromVail Mountain School in 1993, Johnston attendedYale College, earning his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1997.[8][7] During high school and college, he was involved in community service activities, including volunteering at aDenver homeless shelter and mentoring youth in aNew Haven housing project.[8] After graduating from college, he taught English atGreenville High School in ruralMississippi for two years as part of theTeach For America program. Based on this experience, he wrote the bookIn the Deep Heart's Core.
After his program ended, Johnston enrolled in theHarvard Graduate School of Education, earning a master's degree in education policy. While at Harvard, he worked withAl Gore's education advisor, Jon Schnur. With Schnur and others, he helped to foundNew Leaders for New Schools, an organization dedicated to training and recruiting leaders for urban schools.[8] Upon earning his master's degree, he enrolled inYale Law School, and became an education policy advisor to political candidates, including U.S. Senate candidateTom Strickland in2002.[8]
After returning to Colorado in 2003, he was hired as principal at Joan Farley Academy.[11] In 2004, he served as principal of the Marvin Foote Detention Center, which houses students in detention centers held in state custody, and organized the first high school graduation in the center's history. In 2005, Johnston taught education law at theUniversity of DenverLaw School and became the founding principal of Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts (MESA), a public school inThornton, Colorado.[12] As the school's principal, he helped to develop the school's curriculum and program as the school district shifted to developing smaller schools.[8][13]
In the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina, Johnston helped lead an education summit inNew Orleans and worked with U.S. CongressmanGeorge Miller on legislation to recruit and retain teachers.[8] He joined SenatorBarack Obama'spresidential campaign as an informal advisor early in 2007;[7] by May 2008, he was regarded as one of the campaign's key advisors on education issues.[13][14] Obama delivered a major address on education from MESA in May 2008. The school's achievements were highlighted in an October 2008 campaign advertisement.[15]
Johnston has served on the boards of local and national education and service organizations, including theI Have A Dream Foundation, theUrban League,City Year,New Leaders, America Achieves, and America Succeeds. In 2010, he was featured inForbes magazine's "7 Most Powerful Educators"[16] andTime magazine's "40 Under 40".[17]
Johnston served as thechief executive officer of Gary Community Ventures during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, the nonprofit organization delivered almost two milliontest kits and helped coordinate thousands ofvaccinations across Colorado.[18]
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In April 2009, Johnston declared his candidacy forColorado's 33rd Senate district, a historically African-American legislative seat based in northeasternDenver,[12][19] after incumbentPeter Groff announced his resignation upon accepting an appointment in theObama administration'sDepartment of Education.[15] Johnston cited education as the central motivation for his run, including the failure of a bill during the 2008 session granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.[12] During his campaign for the legislative appointment, he met personally with almost all members of the vacancy committee.[20]
At the May 11 vacancy committee meeting, Johnston received 64 out of 126 votes in the first round of balloting to win the appointment, defeating former state representative Rosemary Marshall,Democratic National Committee member Anthony Graves, and activist Renee Blanchard.[15] He was sworn into office on May 29, 2009.[4] He was later elected in 2010 to complete the rest of Groff's term and was then re-elected in 2012, each time winning more than 82% of the vote. Due to term limits, this would be his last term in the state Senate.[21]
While serving in the Senate, Johnston was assigned to the education and finance committees.[11] He supported SB 10–191, legislation that modified teacher and principal accountability by measuring performance in part by student academic growth.[22] The bill was signed into law by GovernorBill Ritter in May 2010.[23]Senate bill 191 was poorly received among teachers.Denver Post guest columnist and teacher Brian Kurz espoused the need to repeal the law as it was an unfunded burden on school districts.[24] Efforts to repeal the law were unsuccessful and it remains in effect to this day.
Johnston worked on passing the READ Act, which was signed into law in May 2012. The law provides districts resources to help K-3 students struggling to read by establishing a process for districts to identify K-3 students who read below grade level and work with their parents to provide extra reading support before students reach the fourth grade.[25] The bill also created the Early Literacy Grant Program to provide funding to districts for literacy assessments, professional development, instructional support, and appropriate interventions, and would distribute approximately $16 million to districts for use in one of three literacy support programs: full day kindergarten, tutoring services, or summer school.[26]
Johnston was a co-sponsor of the ASSET bill, which allows students not legally entitled to be in the United States to pay in-state tuition at Colorado colleges and universities if they attend a Colorado high school for three years and graduate or earn a GED. Under previous law, students not legally entitled to be in the United States, who had graduated from Colorado high schools and had benefited from the state's investment in K-12 education were forced to pay out-of-state tuition. After languishing in the legislature for almost a decade, the bill passed and was signed into law by GovernorJohn Hickenlooper in April 2013.[27] "We come here today to close a chapter in American history, and to open a new one," Johnston remarked. "For me personally, there's no more significant bill that I've worked on that's going to make an actual impact on human beings."[28][29]
Shortly after leaving the state senate, Johnston ran forgovernor of Colorado in2018 to succeedJohn Hickenlooper, who was term-limited.[30] CongressmanJared Polis won the Democratic primary election with former state treasurerCary Kennedy finishing in second place and Johnston in a close third place.[31] After the primary, he endorsed Polis as the Democratic nominee.[32] Polis would go on to defeat RepublicanWalker Stapleton in the general election.[33]
In January 2019, Johnston entered the2020 U.S. Senate election for the seat held by RepublicanCory Gardner.[34] Johnston withdrew his candidacy in September 2019, a few weeks after former governorJohn Hickenlooper entered the race.[6] Despite good fundraising numbers early in his campaign, Johnston cited the need for Democrats to avoidnegative campaigning in the primary election as more important.[35] Hickenlooper later won the Democratic nomination and defeated Gardner in the general election.
Johnston successfully ran formayor of Denver in 2023, succeedingMichael Hancock, who was term-limited.[2] Anonpartisan blanket primary was held on April 4, where he finished in first place and former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO Kelly Brough finished in second place. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote, they faced each other in a June 6 runoff election, where Johnston won by a comfortable margin. Brough conceded the race later that night.[36] His campaign was endorsed byThe Denver Post and many progressive figures in the runoff, while Brough's support came from more conservative groups.[37][38][39]
Johnston was sworn into office on July 17, 2023, along with new members of thecity council and other municipal leaders.[40] The next day, Johnston declared a state of emergency relating to homelessness in Denver. He said that his administration will seek to find housing for 1,000 unsheltered individuals by the end of 2023 and that he will tour 78 local neighborhoods and explore options for the placement oftiny houses.[41]
The city of Denver has a strong mayor system of government. The mayor of Denver can veto things City Council passes with control over the management of the city. The Denver mayor appoints over 700 positions on more than 130 boards and commissions.[42]
Johnston announced Give 5 Mile High during the 2024 State of the City Address. It is a volunteer initiative led by his wife Courtney Johnston. They urge volunteers in the city of Denver to commit to at least five hours of community service a month. They also hold a community service event on the third Saturday of every month. Courtney Johnston was inspired by a trip to Rwanda in 2022, where they learned about mandated once-a-month community service. This program aims to connect the people of Denver to their communities and networks of service.[43][44]
In July 2024, the Denver police department began the Trust Patrol program. Johnston established this plan to reduce crime in the city of Denver. The Trust Patrol program functions by bringing police officers to areas where the public gathers so they can interact without a law enforcement function. This was established to connect the police force with the community.[45]
Johnston created the Denver Asylum Seekers Program in response to Denver's influx of over 43,000 migrants in 2024. The program offering legal support, English classes, and job training to help integrate and contribute to the local economy.[46][47]
The launch of Johnston's Vibrant Denver plan, aimed to transform downtown into a "Central Neighborhood District" with mixed-use housing, vibrant public spaces, and thriving businesses. The redevelopment of the 16th Street Mall was a key part of this effort to reinvigorate the city's urban core.[48][49]
Johnston has been described as both amoderate liberal and aprogressive.[50][51] In his 2024 agenda, Johnston discussed homelessness and affordable housing, violent gun crime, addiction and mental health and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout Denver.[52] While a member of the Colorado Senate, Johnston sponsored bills regarding education, the environment, and housing, among other topics.[53]
In 2024, Johnston proposed Ballot Issue 2R, a measure that would have raised the city's sales tax by 0.5% in order to allocate the money to supportaffordable housing. It was rejected by a 50.99% majority that voted against it.[54]
Johnston supports Denver's climate action plan, which aims to eliminate the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. In 2023, he appointed Elizabeth Babcock to be the executive director of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency.[55] In his 2025 budget proposal, Johnston allotted more money for climate initiatives.[56] In July 2025, Johnston's administration launched a $3 million marketing campaign encouraging Denverites to engage in more climate-friendly actions, including walking and biking instead of driving, and eating moreplant-based foods in place of meat.[57]
While in the Colorado Senate, Johnston cast a vote for Senate Bill 10–191, which was enacted in 2010. Senate Bill 10-191 changed the way that teachers are evaluated in Colorado to being based on their students' performance.[58] He also supported the READ Act, which requires annual literacy evaluations of children in grades K-3 in Colorado.[59]
Johnston lives in Denver'sCentral Park neighborhood with his wife Courtney and their three children: Seamus, Emmet, and Ava.[11] Courtney is a deputydistrict attorney who heads the juvenile unit of theDenver District Attorney's Office.[60]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Johnston (incumbent) | 51,357 | 82.3 | |
| Republican | Jason DeBerry | 8,456 | 13.6 | |
| Libertarian | Courtney Kolva | 2,579 | 4.1 | |
| Total votes | 62,392 | 100 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jared Polis | 282,725 | 44.46 | |
| Democratic | Cary Kennedy | 157,098 | 24.71 | |
| Democratic | Mike Johnston | 149,717 | 23.55 | |
| Democratic | Donna Lynne | 46,316 | 7.28 | |
| Total votes | 635,856 | 100.0 | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan blanket primary | |||
| Mike Johnston | 42,273 | 24.45 | |
| Kelly Brough | 34,627 | 20.03 | |
| Lisa Calderón | 31,493 | 18.21 | |
| Andy Rougeot | 19,927 | 11.52 | |
| Leslie Herod | 18,506 | 10.70 | |
| Chris Hansen | 8,309 | 4.81 | |
| Debbie Ortega | 7,739 | 4.48 | |
| Ean Tafoya | 2,700 | 1.56 | |
| Terrance Roberts | 1,757 | 1.02 | |
| Thomas Wolf | 1,747 | 1.01 | |
| Trinidad Rodriguez | 1,240 | 0.72 | |
| Aurelio Martinez | 755 | 0.44 | |
| Al Gardner | 725 | 0.42 | |
| James Walsh | 722 | 0.42 | |
| Renate Behrens | 184 | 0.11 | |
| Robert Treta | 169 | 0.10 | |
| Write-in | 45 | 0.03 | |
| Total votes | 172,918 | 100.00 | |
| Runoff election | |||
| Mike Johnston | 89,644 | 55.15 | |
| Kelly Brough | 72,906 | 44.85 | |
| Total votes | 162,550 | 100.00 | |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Denver 2023–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
