AURORA, Colo. — Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden has spoken to Denver7 for the first time since the recall effort against her failed to get enough signatures. She called the recall partisan politics.
“There was really no serious effort put into this recall, the committee raised a little over $1,000 and the fact that no signatures were turned in at all means that they likely weren't even close to having the number of signatures that they needed,” Padden told Denver7.
A spokesperson with the Secretary of State’s Office told Denver7 recall organizers needed to turn in 75,875 signatures from registered voters by Tuesday but not a single signature was submitted.
Aurora City Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, a Republican, initiated the recall campaign in July over several cases where Jurinsky felt justice was not served.
First, the case of Kaitlyn Weaver, 24, who was killed by a speeding 15-year-old undocumented driver. He was sentenced to three years’ probation.
Then the case of Robin Niceta, the former social worker, who was convicted of filing false child abuse claims against Jurinsky. Niceta received three years’ probation.
“My chief deputy asked for a prison sentence, and it was the court that ultimately decided that Niceta should get probation,” Padden said.
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Lastly, the case of Soliman Galligan, who was charged for trying to kidnap a boy outside an Aurora elementary school. The charges against Galligan were dropped because the defendant was found incompetent to stand trial and not restorable. A new state law dictates the charges must be dropped if a defendant is not restorable to stand trial.
“I don't have any discretion. I have to follow state law, and so does the court, and if the law says the charges shall be dismissed, then the charges shall be dismissed,” Padden said.
The competency law has drawn criticism from multiple district attorneys in Colorado.
Padden said she is working with other district attorneys, the governor’s office and state lawmakers to try and change the law next legislative session.
Denver7 Political Analyst Alton Dillard said this recall follows a national narrative that Democrats are soft on crime — a narrative that is starting to stick.
“It was Jurinsky who raised the alarm about Tren de Aragua in Aurora. That story went viral and raised her profile. Also in that instance, even though Aurora isn't "overrun" there is some truth to the concerns she raised,” Dillard said. “When a speeding undocumented immigrant killed a young woman, that's the incident that triggered the recall effort and was used as an example of soft on crime policies.”
In a Facebook post, Jurinsky said she was going to be knocking on doors to get enough signatures for the recall petition. According to her newsletter, Jurinsky held events to collect signatures for the recall. She is currently running for re-election for her Aurora City Council seat.
Jurinsky did not respond to Denver7’s request for comment.
Padden said she doesn’t agree with the narrative she is soft on crime and added she started prosecuting cases on Day 1 when she took office nine months ago.
“We have tried over 150 cases. We have tried homicide cases where we have gotten life sentences without the possibility of parole,” Padden said. “I am focused on violent crime, and violent crime rates have gone down. Our homicide rate is down in Arapahoe County right now.”
Padden was elected to serve as the District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District on January 14, 2025.
Padden won the seat by 15 points.
“The most disturbing part of the recall is that it was really seeking to undermine the will of the voters by trying to force a special election so shortly after, I was overwhelmingly elected, and I'm very appreciative that the voters Arapahoe County did not sign the petition.”
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