Colorado Primary 2020: Littleton Election Results

LITTLETON, CO — Thousands of ballots have been returned by drop box and mail in Jefferson and Adams counties for Tuesday's state primary. The biggest race in the election is the Democratic matchup for the U.S. Senate seat — John Hickenlooper has won the primary against Andrew Romanoff, and Hickenlooper will take on Republican incumbent Cory Gardner in November.

Hickenlooper is backed by national Democratic Party leaders, and Republicans launched attack ads against him because Romanoff was viewed as an easier candidate to defeat in November.

But Colorado voters ultimately decided who would be in the November race. As of Monday, more than one million ballots had been returned by mail and drop box.

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>> Romanoff vs. Hickenlooper: View the results for the U.S. Senate Democratic race here.

Jefferson County Democratic candidates - contested seats

State Board of Education Member - Congressional District 1 (*not in Littleton)

Regent of the University of Colorado - Congressional District 2 (*not in Littleton)

District Attorney - 1st Judicial District

Jefferson County Republican candidates - contested seats:

State Representative - District 22 (*not in Littleton)

Douglas County Democratic candidates - contested seats:

District Attorney - 18th Judicial District (also in Arapahoe County)

Douglas County Republican candidates - contested seats:

Regent of the University of Colorado - Congressional District 6

County Commissioner - District 2 (*not in Littleton)

Arapahoe County Democratic candidates - contested seats:

*Arapahoe also includes the State Board of Education Member - Congressional District 1 race — see under Jeffco races.

State Senator - District 31 (*doesn't include Littleton)

State Representative - District 40 (*not in Littleton)

Democrats Jake Lilly and Alexis King were vying for the First Judicial District Attorney seat in Jefferson County, and King is the projected winner.

For more than a decade, King served as deputy district attorney for Jefferson and Gilpin counties. She led the district attorneys' Juvenile and Human Trafficking Units and was appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper to the Colorado Human Trafficking Council in 2016.

King has been endorsed by more than a dozen Colorado leaders, including Sen. Jessie Danielson (D-District 20), Sen Brittany Pettersen (D-District 22), Rep. Kerry Tipper (D-District 28) and former governor and Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter.

Some of King's top priorities are public safety, consumer protection, transparency and incarceration alternatives for non-violent offenders. In an 'Accountability Pledge' on her campaign website, King said she would fight for law enforcement reform.

"When I raise my hand to be your District Attorney, transparency and accountability will be at the forefront of my mind and a central policy," she said. "I know we can do better. We need reforms to rebuild trust between the justice system and the communities we service."

Some of her proposed reforms include expanding the use of body cameras, modernizing training standards to include more conflict resolution and stopping the "revolving door where bad cops who are fired can still join another agency in Colorado."

Lilly is the sex assault prosecutor for Colorado's 5th Judicial District. He's served as felony prosecutor in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, and a special assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting federal crimes in U.S. District Court, then as an assistant district attorney in Georgia and Texas prosecuting state and local criminal offenses.

Lilly has worked for the Democratic Party since 1994, and served as the first vice chair for the Jefferson County Party. He's also a member of the Colorado State Party Central and Executive Committees.

Lilly served as a soldier in Iraq and led more than 80 missions in Baghdad and surrounding areas. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Action Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal. In a campaign video, Lilly said his time working as a soldier is why he wants to be a district attorney.

"I spent my time saving people in Iraqi torture camps on the streets of Baghdad and I came back and wanted to be a prosecutor and do the same thing," Lilly said. "I wanted to save people. I wanted to put bad guys away."

He said that his experience as a prosecutor however gave him a wider perspective.

"There are so many people suffering from mental illness, from addiction, from poverty, from the inability to get out of the system. Those people need help."

Lilly has also received more than a dozen endorsements from Colorado leaders, including Rep. Joe Neguse (D-2nd District), Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Sen. Tammy Story (D-District 16).

Some of Lilly's top priorities include improving prosecution of sex assault and domestic violence crimes, creating a task force to stop repeat offenders, consumer protection, ending the death penalty and ensuring adequate mental health and addictions treatment for some offenders.

18th Judicial District Democratic race

Amy L. Padden was campaigning to unseat Matt Maillaro in the 18th Judicial District Attorney race, and it appears she succeeded — Padden is the projected winner. The 18th Judicial District is the second-largest judicial district in Colorado, with more than 1 million residents.

Maillaro has been a prosecutor in Colorado for more than two decades and has worked under four district attorneys in three jurisdictions. He's worked in the 18th Judicial District for more than 13 years, and led the implementation of the office's first domestic violence, human trafficking, elder abuse, and major drug and gang crime units.

One of Maillaro's top priorities has been the improvement of the juvenile justice system.

"To truly impact public safety, we must stop the cycle of recidivism," read a statement in Maillaro's campaign website. "The most obvious and effective place to start is with our teenage offenders."

Padden has worked as an attorney for 25 years. After a career working for a private law firm, she decided to pursue a career in public service. Padden has worked at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the 5th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

Several years after Padden joined the U.S. Attorney's Office, she was promoted to a deputy chief position after former President Barack Obama’s appointee, U.S. Attorney John Walsh, took office. She was then promoted to serve as the executive assistant U.S. attorney and law enforcement coordinator for the District of Colorado.

Some of Padden's top priorities include protecting vulnerable populations, civil rights and protecting immigrant communities.