Mayor Mike Johnston formally launched his campaign for reelection Tuesday evening, kicking off the start of a race that will serve as a referendum on his approach to homelessness, housing affordability and bringing new life to downtown.

“We are going to make sure this city serves you back and gives you a home where you can breathe deep and not worry about how you pay the rent next month. And that is what we will do in the next term,” Johnston said to a crowd of dozens of supporters gathered at Town Hall Collective on Santa Fe Drive.

His campaign launch comes amid recent poll results showing his favor has declined steadily among Denver voters over the past three years. In the Colorado Polling Institute survey conducted last month, 50% of voters polled said they view the first-term mayor unfavorably. That’s up from the 38% who said the same in 2024.

According to those results, most voters have said consistently over the years that Johnston is moving the city in the right direction but that he still needs to do more. After his speech, Johnston told a Post reporter he somewhat agreed with that sentiment from voters.

“No one is more unhappy with the rate of progress than me,” Johnston said. “Like I’m not sitting back eating bonbons like this is mission accomplished. I feel a sense of urgency, a sense of frustration and a sense of hunger to do far more, faster.”

He added that he’s encouraged by the results showing people believe the city is headed in the right direction.

In his 15-minute speech, he highlighted his successes as mayor, including his handling of the migrant crisis, a decrease in street homelessness, a historic drop in homicides last year and renewed foot traffic in downtown.

Johnston, who testified before a congressional committee about his handling of the migrant crisis, also pointed to his resistance to the “federal administration,” in a nod to President Donald Trump.

After going 14-3 and reaching the AFC Championship game last season, the Denver Broncos are considered a Super Bowl contender going into the 2026 campaign.

The Ringer’s Diante Lee published his updated NFL power rankings on Monday, and he has the Broncos ranked third, only trailing the NFC’s Los Angeles Rams (this year’s Super Bowl favorite) and Seattle Seahawks (the defending Super Bowl champion).

“The Broncos have all the pieces they’ll need to win their division and be an AFC front-runner again, and that was already the case before they traded for receiver Jaylen Waddle,” Lee wrote for The Ringer. “Now this team is entering the season with arguably a top-three defense, a top-five offensive line, and a top-10 receiving corps led by Waddle and Courtland Sutton.

Lee is not alone in his assessment of the league’s top three clubs. Bleacher Report’s NFL experts also published their updated power rankings on Monday with the same order: L.A., Seattle, Denver.

“Most of our panelists agree that Denver is a top-three team to open the season, which seems fitting for a club coming off an AFC Championship appearance,” Maurice Moton wrote for B/R.

The Broncos are finally getting respect from the national media. Now it’s up to them to back it up. Denver’s set to open the season against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 1 (on Sept. 14).

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