Denver's progressive losses are spotlighting money's role in dividing Democrats

Hours before his warning proved prophetic, Democratic state Rep. Tim Hernández cautioned about outside spending impacting a race like his.

• "When there was no money involved, voters picked me," Hernández told us last Tuesday evening at the Denver watch party for his re-election bid. But, he added, once the ultra-rich start paying for political ads, "it becomes a different conversation."

Catch up quick: Hernández campaigned as a progressive champion, aligning with lawmakers like state Rep. Elisabeth Epps, who touted themselves as candidates fighting for the working class.

• Both ended up losing to challengers who benefited from thousands of dollars of outside spending — just as Hernández warned.

Why it matters: The result cemented a bleak primary for progressives, the label given to left-of-center Democrats, and showed, "Money can buy elections," Adrian Felix, a former organizing leader with Denver Democrats, told Axios.

Between the lines: Paul Teske, dean of the University of Colorado Denver's School of Public Affairs, tells us that last Tuesday's results show Denver Democrats are still strongly moderates.

What they're saying: Felix said the local party needs to evaluate money's role in elections.

• Like Felix, Teske said the primary confirmed just how much money matters in races. And in last week's state House races, the moderate candidates were backed by more money than progressive ones.
• The Denver chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which often backs progressive candidates and suggests policies, did not respond to multiple requests for comment about last week's results and how they will affect future advocacy.

Follow the money: Cecelia Espenoza and Sean Camacho, the moderate Democrats who defeated Hernández and Epps respectively, benefited from super PAC spending.

• This money came from Let Colorado Vote Action, a group tied to former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry. He personally donated $1.24 million, per the latest state election finance records.

The intrigue: Thiry has consistently backed moderate policies, Teske said, including a ballot measure in the November general election that will call for eliminating the state party primary and assembly, and using a ranked-choice voting model .

• The measure will test whether Thiry's financial influence can reach a statewide audience.

The bottom line: Felix says the results in the two high-profile state House races highlight a division between "corporate Democrats" and progressives.

• It's a division he no longer wants to be part of: He tells Axios he's registering as an unaffiliated voter this week after the state party's Central Committee voted Monday night against a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Sign up for Axios Denver for free.