DENVER — Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks, who is running for reelection against Candi CdeBaca in District 9, posted a picture to social media of a racist flyer that includes his opponent’s logo.
Brooks told 9NEWS that a supporter found and brought the flyers to him on Thursday.
“Time for this monkey to go,” the handout says next to an image that depicts Brooks as a monkey. Underneath the graphic is the message “Vote Latino.”
Along with the picture, Brooks wrote a message expressing his disgust in a post on his campaign Facebook page.
“This...is a new low,” he wrote. “Some of these flyers were found today in an area by my family, and I’m not sure how I’d describe this moment to my kids if they saw this.”
CdeBaca was quick to slam the circular, saying it did not come from her staff.
“Whoever made it clearly doesn't know me nor anything about my campaign. My family is black and this is incredibly offensive not only to my opponent but to me and my entire family,” she wrote on her own Facebook page. “If you consider yourself a supporter but created and/or distributed this, you are in fact, NOT a supporter. This vile and racist rhetoric has NO place on this campaign, in District 9, or in Denver. I fully and with the strongest of meanings denounce this flyer, the hate behind it, and whoever created it.”
Brooks told 9NEWS by phone that he does not believe CdeBaca’s campaign is responsible for the handouts. He made a separate post late Thursday afternoon expressing the same sentiment.
He also told 9NEWS that he doesn’t believe the flyer came from one of his own supporters, who might have been trying to take down CdeBaca in the election.
“We run a clean campaign. Our supporters are on board with that,” he said.
Mayor Michael Hancock's director of public affairs, Gloria Neal, did publicly accuse the CdeBaca campaign of putting out the racist flyer.
“This is NOT okay! Who in her campaign approved this? How did this happen Candi CdeBaca? #BeyondOffended,” her post on social media said. Neal has since deleted her accusation.
The mayor’s office said Neal wasn't making the claim in her official capacity.
The Brooks and CdeBaca contest made it to the runoff election after neither candidate secured enough support in the vote earlier this month.
The candidates for mayor, incumbent Hancock and his challenger, Jamie Giellis, are also competing in a runoff.
Ballots are due back by 7 p.m. June 4.
Suggested videos: Next with Kyle Clark