Pueblo Dems will run uncontested in 2024 primary; more takeaways from Democratic assembly

Pueblo Democrats convened to select local candidates and determine policy positions at the Steelworkers union hall in Bessemer on Saturday.

The main room was packed to the brim at the beginning of the meeting, as the vast majority of the eligible delegates came to participate.

Democrats are hoping to win back — and retain — several local positions in the November 2024 election after losing the mayor’s office, their majority on city council, and several school board seats in the most recent elections.

At county assemblies, local parties choose candidates for local primary ballots and discuss the party platform.

Here are some of the takeaways from Saturday's county assembly.

Once-crowded field for Griego’s seat narrowed to one candidate

The county commissioner representing District 1, Epimenio “Eppie” Griego, was first elected as a Democrat nearly four years ago. But he recently left the party to run as an unaffiliated candidate, so he will need to go through a petitioning process in a few months to gain ballot access in November.

While four Democrats filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office to run for this position, Saturday's assembly narrowed down the party’s pick to just one candidate: Miles Lucero.

Lucero, who is not related to Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero, won an overwhelming majority of delegates’ support at the assembly and no other candidate qualified for the ballot.

“I represent a new generation of Democratic leadership,” Lucero said during his pitch to the crowd. “I bring enthusiasm and fresh perspectives, which I believe are crucial for unifying our party this year in this important election season.”

Lucero is new to local politics but told the Chieftain after the event that he has been making calls and going to events over the past few months to get his name out there.

“All the people that have helped me, all the support that I've had — today was the culmination of that,” Lucero said. “It feels amazing, but it's just the start. This is day one; now, the clock resets.”

Former Pueblo City Councilor Larry Atencio formally entered the race less than two weeks before the assembly — he had signs made for a BOCC run — but did not earn enough support from the Democrats present.

No contested local races for 2024 elections

Lucero easily garnered enough support to be the lone Democratic candidate for District 1 on the BOCC, but all the other local contests discussed Saturday will also only have a single Democratic candidate.

Commissioner Daneya Esgar went unchallenged as the Democratic incumbent representing District 2. Both of Pueblo’s Democratic incumbents in the state House of Representatives, Tisha Mauro and Matt Martinez, also avoided primary challenges.

Pueblo’s District Attorney Jeff Chostner recently announced he isn’t seeking an additional term. No candidate had filed notice with the local chair at least 30 days before the assembly and Kyle Aber was the only candidate at the assembly vying for the position.

Chostner wholeheartedly endorsed Aber, who has previous work experience in the local DA’s office and is now an attorney working for Pueblo County.

Pro-abortion ballot measure, condemnation of Christian nationalism among local resolutions adopted

The assembly ended up approving all 12 of the policy resolutions proposed during the caucus meetings, but some were more controversial than others.

Some resolutions easily passed without any pushback, such as supporting a pro-abortion ballot measure and condemning Christian nationalism.

“The Pueblo County Democratic Party recognizes that Christian nationalism poses a significant threat to the democratic fabric of the United States. … It’s important to clarify that Christian nationalism does not reflect the tenets of Christian faith. Instead, it is a distortion that merges political power with religious identity in a manner that endangers our pluralistic society and democratic values,” part of the resolution states.

Two resolutions opposing nuclear energy in Pueblo were some of the most divisive discussions for local Democrats, although both passed.

Direct involvement emphasized

The room was full of some of the most-involved people in local Democratic politics. But when state party chair Shad Murib asked the crowd who had previously volunteered on a campaign, not many people raised their hands.

Murib urged people to get involved: Democrats could win a majority in the U.S. House in November 2024, he said, and “the eyes of the nation are on Pueblo.”

Esgar also encouraged people to get involved. She said as the only Democrat on the Pueblo BOCC, “I have a huge target on my back in this election.”

“These groups that think that they can come in and take over Pueblo are looking at in this race. And they're going to put a lot of time and a lot of money into this race. I need every single one of you to do the same. We cannot lose this seat,” Esgar said.

The Pueblo County Republican Party is hosting their county assembly Tuesday evening.

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 County Democrats select candidate to run against Eppie Griego