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MorningMagazine_2024-06-26 Philip Armour
Election results
Results are rolling in for this year’s state primary elections.
Several high-profile local races were on the Democratic primary ballot this year, as we discussed yesterday on the Morning Magazine. Those included a seat on the state Board of Education, and three seats for Colorado’s legislature.
The County updated their unofficial election results last night, at 11:15 p.m. At that point, Kathy Gebhardt held a nearly 17% lead over her opponent, Marisol Lynda Rodriguez, in the race for the District 2 Board of Education seat. That race was the spendiest on the Boulder County ballot this year—largely in support of Rodriguez. Boulder Weekly reports that a lot of “dark money” went into supporting Rodriguez’s campaign—nearly $1 million on phone calls, web and newspaper ads, and direct mailers opposing Gebhardt.
The Daily Camera reports that clear leaders have emerged in the three County Democratic races for legislature seats. The closest race as of last night was House District 10, where incumbent state Representative Junie Joseph is leading retired science educator Tina Mueh by about 15%.
You can see a full breakdown of all local primary election results at https://electionresults.bouldercounty.gov.
Unofficial election results will be posted after 7:00 PM on June 25, 2024.
Two contentious state/congressional races
A quick look at a few of the closely-watched Republican state and congressional races:
Representative Lauren Boebert has won the race for the 4th Congressional District, leading in the polls ahead of her five opponents by at least 30%. According to Colorado Public Radio, this means Boebert will be a republican candidate for Congress for the third time—this time, representing a different part of the state.
In other Republican race news, Jeff Crank won the GOP nomination in House District 5, defeating Dave Williams. Williams, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has faced widespread attention lately for his mass emails and social media posts calling gay people “godless groomers” and calling for the burning of all PRIDE flags.
Finally, Republican Greg Lopez won the vacancy election for the state’s 4th Congressional District. That means Lopez will fill out the remainder of retired Representative Ken Buck’s term.
Rent assistance and subsidized housing programs accepting applications
As state evictions climb, Colorado leaders are accepting pre-applications for rental assistance this week from those who have fallen behind on rent and are at risk of displacement.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs, or DOLA, opened a three-day pre-application process yesterday to low-income residents at risk of eviction or displacement.
The application is open until Thursday at 5pm.
According to the Colorado Sun, department leaders will randomly select pre-applicants, who will then be invited to apply for emergency rental assistance. Applicants will have 8 days to submit applications after selection. Those chosen will receive the funds by early September.
The $24 million dollars in funding for the emergency rental assistance program comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Households that qualify will receive an average award of $6,000. The total rental assistance cannot exceed seven months-worth of rent, or $10,000, whichever is less.
To apply, you must earn 80% of your area median income or less, and face imminent threat of eviction. Applicants must also not have received rental assistance from any program within the past year and must have experienced a life event that has impaired their ability to pay rent.
To submit a pre-application, listeners can go here.
Boulder Housing Partners lottery
Boulder Housing Partners, Boulder’s largest affordable housing provider, also opened the application process yesterday for residents to get subsidized housing.
The Housing Choice Voucher lottery runs through today, Wednesday, June 26.
The program, also funded by the federal government, helps lower-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities to afford housing.
You must be under 61, have a disability or live with someone who meets the program’s criteria, and make less than 50% of your area median income to be considered eligible.
In the 2023 lottery, Boulder Housing Partners received 2,210 applications, according to the Boulder Reporting Lab. Only 350 applicants were selected.
Boulder Reporting Lab says this highlights the pressing demand for affordable housing in Boulder.
To apply, visit boulderhousing.org.
Today is Bike to Work Day
June is Colorado’s bike month, and today, June 26th is bike to work day! Employees are encouraged to leave cars behind and get to work on their bikes.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, participation helps improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce traffic congestion.
The Department of Transportation will be hosting a Bike to Work Day Station at the intersection of the South Platte River and Lakewood Gulch Trails.
There are Bike to Work Day breakfast stations across the city, including at KGNU. The station will have breakfast, coffee, bicycle maps, educational materials, and prizes.
Listeners can find the nearest bike to work day station to them by going to biketoworkday.co/map.
