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Auon’tai Anderson enters crowded race to replace Leslie Herod in Colorado House [1]
['Lindsey Toomer', 'More From Author', '- June']
Date: 2023-06
Auon’tai Anderson, vice president of the Denver Public Schools board of education, announced he will end his run for reelection to instead go for a seat in the Colorado Legislature.
Anderson, a Democrat who has been vocal against police in schools, announced his campaign to replace Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod in House District 8.
As of Monday, five candidates have filed with the secretary of state’s office looking to take the District 8 seat, including Anderson, Victor Bencomo, Christi Devoe, Lindsay Gilchrist and Sharron Pettiford. All candidates so far are Democrats. Gilchrist filed her candidacy the same day as Anderson.
Anderson told Newsline he was invested in serving another term on the school board until the most recent instance of gun violence at East High School in Denver. He said a particular conversation he had with a Black family in the district pushed him in the direction of running for the House, when a student asked Anderson what he was going to do about gun reform.
“We need Democrats that are going to be Democrats 24/7, not Democrats when it’s convenient,” Anderson said. “I feel like we’ve had some very convenient Democrats in the Legislature when it comes to these heavy issues like rent control, or our assault weapons ban that was killed by Dems. So, for me, this was an opportunity to stand up and say ‘I’m going to run.’”
A proposed assault weapons ban in April died in a Democratic-majority state House committee.
Anderson said he’s confident he would have won his seat on the school board again if he continued to pursue it, but he wants to see the work he said he’s accomplished for Denver students continue for all kids in Colorado. He touted board policies that make dyslexia screenings accessible for DPS students, as well as a 90% reduction in tickets and citations for students in the district during his time on the board.
“We can’t regress into an era where we’re going back to criminalizing Black and brown children,” Anderson said.
Once he leaves the board of education, Anderson said he wants to see new leadership take over because of continued “power struggles” he’s seen hinder the board’s work. He also wants to see new board members work to better engage with constituents.
House District 8 covers a portion of northeast Denver that includes the Park Hill neighborhood. Gilchrist, another Denver native going for the seat, founded an advocacy and public policy organization and aims to tackle criminal justice reform, safeguarding LGBTQ rights and gun violence prevention policies.
“I firmly believe that by joining forces and embracing the power of collaboration, we can forge a path towards a Colorado that shines with prosperity and resounds with equity,” Gilchrist said in a statement. “With an open mind and tireless dedication, I eagerly look forward to the opportunity to listen, to learn, and to fiercely fight for the needs of our remarkable state.”
If elected to the Colorado House, Anderson said he would prioritize four areas in his first legislative session: banning assault weapons, enshrining access to reproductive health care in the state Constitution, expanding protections for LGBTQ students, and increasing minimum wage.
“I want to be able to serve my ‘hood in the House of Representatives,” Anderson said. “I want to bring them to the House with me, because for so long the House has been for some not an accessible place for people that look like me to really feel welcomed and at home.”
Anderson became the youngest candidate to run for Denver’s Board of Education in 2017 when he was 19 years old. He won his at-large seat after a second campaign in 2019. Anderson was censured by fellow board members for misconduct, the apparent first time in district history that’s happened.
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[1] Url:
https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/auontai-anderson-leslie-herod-colorado-house/
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