AURORA — Nearly 24 hours after the polls closed in Colorado, an outspoken conservative incumbent running for Aurora City Council conceded the race.
Danielle Jurinsky was elected to the Aurora City Council in 2021. Since then, she has been at the center of the conversation surrounding the presence of Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora, in addition to a failed recall of Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden.
Jurinsky, alongside fellow conservative incumbent Amsalu Kassaw, was running for the two available at-large seats on the council. The two candidates with the most votes will win the two at-large seats.
As of Wednesday evening, the Aurora election results show two progressive challengers, Rob Andrews and Alli Jackson, with more than 3,000 votes each. Jurinsky and Kassaw have more than 2,000 votes in comparison.
Jurinsky posted a statement on her social media Wednesday, which said in part that she has "fought valiantly and ferociously these past four years" and now she plans to "rest."
I want to thank each and every one of you who supported my campaign and shared in my love for Aurora. Your prayers, encouragement, and kindness over the past four years have meant the world to me.
— Danielle Jurinsky (@DaniJurinsky) November 5, 2025
While last night’s election didn’t go the way we had hoped, I am deeply proud of…
Kassaw has not issued a concession as of Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Andrews sent a statement declaring his victory in the race for an at-large seat. Andrews said that voters across Aurora "stood up, spoke out, and chose hope over fear, progress over division, and community over chaos."
Denver7 asked Jackson how she was feeling about the race earlier in the day on Wednesday, and she replied via email that she was feeling "very confident" while "waiting for more results to come in."
Colorado Democrats are celebrating the victories of Jackson and Andrews, along with Gianina Horton, Amy Wiles and Ruben Medina. With those individuals heading to the Aurora City Council, the Republican majority has flipped.
- Read a statement from the Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib below:
“For years, the people of Aurora have been lied to and used as political props by MAGA Republicans who care more about stoking division, talking to cable news and making a name for themselves than serving the people who elected them. Aurora has wisely voted them out. They’ve chosen to elect Democrats who will put them and their families first, make their community safer, their schools stronger and their daily lives better and more affordable. We look forward to their service giving Aurora residents what they deserve: steady competent leadership focused on results.”
Denver7 spoke with Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, who was surprised by the results of the city council races.
"Now that I reflect on it, it really fell into a pattern, a historic pattern, I think, when you have in Washington, D.C., when you have one party that has all the levers of power, I think there's really pushback from the American people," Coffman said. "I think this is reflective of, I think the anger on the left, you know, just compelled them to come out and vote in higher numbers."
Coffman said he is looking forward to working alongside the new, progressive councilmembers.
"My job as mayor is really to find common ground that will allow us to move forward and get things done," Coffman said. "A lot of people think that compromise is some sort of a dirty word, but it's necessary in our process of American government. And so, it's really a function of both sides coming together and trying to do the best they can for the people of the city by compromising where necessary in order for us to move forward.”
Politics
See Colorado election results here
MiDian Shofner, the CEO of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership, was not surprised by the election results.
"I think that this election really showed that there is an intentionality. The constituency understands that they are the ones that actually have the power, and those who are elected in those positions have a responsibility to that constituency," Shofner said. “For this particular race, I saw a community come together. I saw a community lift their voice, and I also saw a community build on expectations that we actually do deserve leadership that is representative of the people that they're supposed to serve.”
Shofner said the Aurora City Council galvanized the community to change the member makeup when they suspended in-person meetings and public comment sessions until a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Kilyn Lewis was settled. Some council members, like Medina, opposed the move to online meetings and hosted an in-person gathering in September.
- View a timeline of the changes to the Aurora City Council's public comment below
“It also came on the heels of the police brutality that we've seen. We've seen the brutality, we've seen the fatalities. These are our neighbors and our loved ones that we are looking into their eyes, watching their pain unfold, and the city council dismissed that," Shofner said.
Aurora City Council is expected to return to in-person meetings on Nov. 17, according to the Aurora Sentinel.
Shofner is excited to see new faces join the Aurora City Council.
"I don't think that they are going to walk away from accountability. I think that they are going to lean into it, because they've already shown signs of that in conversations, in intentional dialogue. They are ready to listen," said Shofner. "They are eager to listen, and they understand that the voices of the people they serve have to inform how they lead.”
Denver7 reached out to Sundberg, Jurinsky, and Kassaw for a comment, but did not receive a response before publication.
