Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar snags endorsements from top Colorado Democrats

Governors and U.S. senators don’t always get involved in local elections.

But recently in Pueblo, some of Colorado’s top elected officials — all Democrats — have endorsed incumbent Mayor Nick Gradisar.

His campaign announced endorsements from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, as well as U.S. Sens John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet.

The announcement of the endorsements came approximately one month after Gradisar came in second place in Pueblo's mayoral race. He is facing city council President Heather Graham in the runoff election, which will take place in January.

What the endorsements said

Hickenlooper said that the Steel City “deserves a mayor like Nick Gradisar.”

“Nick’s roots in Pueblo run deep, and he is committed to growing the local economy, attracting jobs to Pueblo, and building a safer and more vibrant community. Nick knows the job isn’t finished, and he’s the right person to do it,” Hickenlooper said in his endorsement, shared in a press release by the Gradisar campaign.

Bennet said that Gradisar has shown “his commitment to the Pueblo community” through his experience in public service.

“As mayor, he has helped create hundreds of new jobs in the clean energy sector, invested in Pueblo Public Schools and built affordable housing throughout the city. Mayor Gradisar puts the people of Pueblo first and is the right candidate for the job,” Bennet said.

Polis said that his administration has worked closely with Gradisar on Pueblo’s economy and quality of life. He also credited Gradisar for his work on renewable energy.

“None of this would be possible without the leadership of Mayor Gradisar,” Polis said.

Polis and Hickenlooper also lauded Gradisar’s leadership when they spoke at CS Wind during President Joe Biden’s visit on Nov. 29.

Biden also gave a shoutout to Gradisar for welcoming him to Pueblo but did not state a direct endorsement.

Why these endorsements are happening now

Gradisar told the Chieftain that his campaign asked for the endorsements because of what’s going on in the runoff.

“We decided to go out and ask for their endorsements because we think it would be important, given the fact that the Republican Party has jumped all in for my opponent,” Gradisar said.

Graham, the owner of several restaurants in Pueblo, is a registered Republican who describes herself as a moderate.

Graham told the Chieftain she has supporters who are Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated and that she wants to represent everyone regardless of party affiliation.

“(The local Republican party) is more supportive now because I was a Republican who was able to capture the most votes. I still am appreciative for the support, but also being a Republican didn't necessarily put me in that position to win — I think it was just because I align with a lot of people regardless of what their political position is,” Graham said.

Graham got the endorsement of the local police union in October. Her campaign Facebook page has also announced endorsements from Republican Pueblo County Commissioner Zach Swearingen, District 70 school board member Chris DeLuca and some local community leaders.

Randy Thurston, the candidate who finished fourth in the mayoral contest, announced his endorsement of Graham on his campaign Facebook page.

Gradisar said that he hopes the endorsements lead to more financial support from people who also back Polis, Hickenlooper and Bennet. He also said that he hopes the endorsements will help convince people to support him in the runoff election.

“These are people (that voters) trust to be leaders in our community,” Gradisar said.

He noted that the city received the largest federal grant ever under his leadership — $16.8 million in 2022 to invest in three transit infrastructure projects on the West Side — partially because of his collaboration with federal representatives. Gradisar also said that he has known Polis for a while because of connections in Colorado Democratic politics.

“They certainly wouldn't have endorsed me if they didn't think that we were doing a good job and we weren't on the right track in the city,” Gradisar said.

Previous endorsements

Gradisar recalled that he did not have any gubernatorial or senatorial endorsements in the previous mayoral election.

It appears that Polis, Hickenlooper and Bennet did not make any endorsements in the Denver mayoral race earlier this year.

Polis has not made many endorsements during his four years leading Colorado. In September, he endorsed Aaron Brockett, a candidate for mayor in his hometown of Boulder.

A Bennet spokesperson said that Bennet hasn’t made any other major endorsements lately.

A spokesperson for Hickenlooper’s campaign said he has made one other endorsement in this election cycle so far: John Walsh, a Democratic candidate for district attorney in Denver.

Gradisar endorsed Polis in his 2022 re-election bid, as well as now-former Pueblo County Commissioners Garrison Ortiz and Chris Wiseman. Gradisar also endorsed Bennet when he was running for re-election in 2022.

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Mayor Gradisar gets endorsements from Bennet, Hickenlooper, Polis