Candidate abruptly suspends mayoral campaign to unseat Michael Hancock
Kayvan Khalatbari, the entrepreneur who had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in a buzzy campaign to challenge Mayor Michael Hancock, has abruptly quit the race.
Khalatbari announced Wednesday morning that he would end his campaign seven months before the election, citing unspecified personal reasons and concerns about his wellness.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I am ending my campaign for Mayor of Denver, effective today. For the past 18 months I have poured everything of myself into this campaign, as have countless supporters, all of us in the pursuit of a fair and equitable Denver. However, for personal reasons I must remove myself from this process to focus on my family and my personal health and wellness,” he said in a statement released by his campaign.
The decision comes days after another challenger, former state legislator Penfield Tate, entered the race. Khalatbari had seemed to relish the new challenger, telling a reporter Monday that Tate could help him by drawing votes from the incumbent. In that interview, Khalatbari described campaign plans for the weeks and months ahead.
Khalatbari is an owner of Sexy Pizza, Sexpot Come dy, Denver Relief Consulting and others. He had raised more than $200,000 as of June 30, the last date for which financial reports were available, and he said Monday that fundraising had continued at a strong pace.
Khalatbari also ran unsuccessfully for an atlarge council seat in 2015. With his exit, the announced May 2019 election field includes Hancock, Tate, Stephan “Chairman Seku” Evans, Marcus Giavanni, Kalyn Heffernan and Kenneth Simpson.
Khalatbari’s platform called for the city to invest in “social housing,” new protected bike lanes and a rebuilding of the streetcar network, among other causes. He also was known for filming Denver police officers in 2016 as they confiscated blankets from people camping outside a city building. Police said the property was seized as evidence, and Hancock later ordered police not to confiscate survival gear during coldweather months.
“I know we created a spark, and motivated others to get involved in this crucial time for our city. It is my hope that current elected officials, candidates and the residents of Denver will continue to listen to each other, to find common ground, and to work together, because we can’t resolve these issues divided,” Khalatbari’s statement continued.
“… Even though I will not be continuing in my role as a candidate, I look forward to being a part of this dialogue, fighting beside you for the Denver that we love.”
Denver law allows Khalatbari to use the funds he has raised on a limited number of causes. He’ll use some of the money to pay invoices and staff. The campaign has offered “to return contributions upon request,” according to an email from campaign manager Jessica CampbellSwanson.
Leftover money will be split between three ballot initiatives, the email stated: the Caring 4 Denver initiative to raise sales taxes for mental health and housing services, which is on the ballot for this November; the campaign finance reforms that will be on the ballot this November; and the Right to Survive effort to overturn the city’s camping ban in May 2019.