How Pueblo County candidates fared in races for coroner, county commissioner, sheriff and more

Pueblo County Democratic candidates are leading all but two races in this year's midterms, according to the latest update from the Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder's Office. Republican candidates Brian Cotter and Zach Swearingen are leading in the coroner and county commissioner for District 3 races, respectively.

The clerk and recorder's office released its latest update at 5:09 p.m. on Wednesday.

Swearingen holds 10-point lead over challenger Pignanelli for county commissioner District 3

Unofficial results showed Zach Swearingen ahead of Roxanne "Roxy" Pignanelli, 55% to 45% as of Wednesday evening. So far, 56,066 votes have been counted for this race, 30,762 for Swearingen and 25,304 for Pignanelli.

Swearingen, a Pueblo native with a political science degree from Colorado State University Pueblo and the owner of two small businesses, is looking to become the first Republican commissioner elected in Pueblo County in at least two decades.

Swearingen previously ran for county commissioner in 2018. He said his top priorities include public safety and building a more business-friendly environment in Pueblo. He, like his Democratic opponent Pignanelli, believes county commissioners should be more transparent with the county budget process.

Pignanelli, also a Pueblo native, is a government and community affairs coordinator at Pueblo County School District 70 who has emphasized building up “human infrastructure and physical improvements” during her candidacy. She has built connections and coalitions within the community and is an advocate for women running for office.

Pignanelli has previously worked in arts management and education.

A fifth term as county assessor within sight for Beltran

Unofficial results Wednesday showed Frank Beltran leading J. Angel Lewis 52% to 48%. So far 56,030 votes have been counted for this race, 29,395 for Beltran and 26,635 for Lewis.

Beltran said he and his office had tracked Tuesday night's results and looked for an update Wednesday morning.

"We're still waiting on the final count," Beltran said Wednesday. "I'm going to wait until the final results are in."

Beltran is seeking a fifth term after spending 16 years in the county assessor's role. He was born and raised in Pueblo and has been working in the assessor’s office for 42 years.

With another term, Beltran said he would continue to place importance on the yearly audit and keep up with technological improvements that are available to the office. He also wants to stay under budget to save taxpayer dollars.

Lewis said she wants to bring a fresh perspective to the role. She moved to Pueblo in 2019 and has more than 15 years of experience as a real estate paralegal.

Lewis, if elected, said she would seek to produce the lowest possible valuations for Puebloans so that properties aren’t over-assessed. She also wants the assessor’s office to be more transparent with the public and said she would meet with Puebloans in every area of Pueblo County.

Rivera leads so far in race to become next clerk and recorder

Unofficial results show Candace Rivera had a 53% to 47% lead over Nathan Baxter as of Wednesday evening. So far, 53,206 votes have been counted for this race, 30,009 for Rivera and 26,104 for Baxter.

With Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz having lost his reelection bid in the June primary, Baxter, a Republican, and Rivera, a Democrat, are vying to be Pueblo County’s next clerk and recorder.

Baxter has lived in Pueblo for 10 years, is a Marine Corps veteran and has worked in operations management. He said strengthening public trust in the election process is a core goal of his and that he would welcome public tours of the office so people can ask questions if needed.

Rivera also said a top priority would be to reinforce trust in the election process and she would like to increase the office’s transparency.

Cotter holds slim lead in county coroner race

The county coroner's race had Brian Cotter leading with the slimmest margin of all six county races. Unofficial results showed Cotter led 52% to 48% over Zolanye McCulley-Bachicha. So far, 55,365 votes have been counted in this race, 28,780 for Cotter and 26,585 for McCulley-Bachicha.

Pueblo’s only countywide elected Republican, Cotter is looking to serve a third term as county coroner. McCulley-Bachicha, meanwhile, is running to be the first woman and first person of color to hold the county coroner title in Pueblo.

Cotter has served in the county coroner’s office, which establishes causes and manners of death, for 25 years, with eight as coroner. He said he has helped build up the department and its training staff since he took over as coroner and expressed a desire to help grieving families. He worked with county commissioners to lease a new building for the coroner’s office and said his overwhelming experience makes him the best fit for the department.

McCulley-Bachicha is a former Pueblo city councilwoman who has experience working in the mortuary business. She worked in her grandparents’ funeral home throughout her early life and gained experience in multiple roles.

She said the coroner’s position is about bringing comfort to grieving families who may feel lost and added that she wants to improve the department’s communication with the public.

Incumbent sheriff Lucero holding large lead over Musso

Incumbent David Lucero, a Democrat, had a nine-point lead on Wednesday evening over Republican challenger Joey Musso. The latest tally had Lucero with a 54% to 46% advantage after 55,917 votes have been counted, 30,339 for Lucero and 25,578 for Musso.

"I'm not declaring victory yet; I'm going to watch the votes come in and let the people speak. But it's exciting. I knew the voters would do their research. I think experience does matter and having worked in most areas of the organization, I think that's what's needed to continue on," Lucero said on Wednesday.

When former sheriff Kirk Taylor took on a role as the U.S. Marshal for the District of Colorado, it left Lucero and Musso vying to take his place.

Lucero, an 18-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was officially appointed as Pueblo County's sheriff three weeks before the election. He has been a patrol deputy, detention division captain and law enforcement bureau chief during his time with the office.

If elected, Lucero said he would seek to improve the office's staffing and lead oversight on the new county jail, which is expected to open in 2025.

Musso is a 10-year PSCO veteran and former school resource officer for Pueblo County District schools. He was born and raised in Pueblo and also wants to fix the sheriff’s office's staffing issues. He said he also would reinstate the metropolitan gang task force to intercept drugs and reduce gang-related violence in Pueblo. The task force was disbanded seven years ago.

Archulleta holding lead for county treasurer

Wednesday's unofficial results showed Kim Archuletta had a 52% to 48% lead over Michelle Gray. So far, 55,875 votes have been counted in this race, 28,967 for Archuletta and 26,908 for Gray.

"I've put in the work for more than 18 months and I know my hard work will pay off," Archuletta said on Wednesday. "It's just a matter of waiting for that final count to hit. I came out in the lead and I continue to lead. I'm hopeful and feel confident that a victory will ultimately be the end result."

Del Olivas has led the treasurer’s office for the past 13 years but was ousted in the June primary by fellow Democrat Archuletta.

Archuletta, a Pueblo native, has more than four years of experience working in the treasurer’s office and worked as a senior banker for a US Bank. Her Republican challenger, Gray, is a 27-year veteran math teacher who was involved with the budget oversight committee for Pueblo County School District 70.

Gray said she wants to help property owners to understand their rights and feels county departments should work as a unified team. She said she also wants increased transparency for Puebloans.

Archuletta said she would integrate new technology as treasurer to better serve Puebloans and have a more cost-effective office. She also wants to inform taxpayers about relevant issues through increased transparency.

Chieftain reporter Justin Reutter contributed to this report.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County elections: Democrats hold leads in all but two races