Every year, Democrats throughout Denver can nominate and be awarded our party's highest honors for their dedication and achievements. The categories for the awards are as follows:
Awards
The Gloria Tanner Party Builder Award
The Gloria Tanner Party Builder Award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond to recruit volunteers and leaders, building capacity for the Democratic Party.
2025 Awardee
Elijah "Eagle" Lewis
Like most Democrat party officers, Eagle is a P.O. first and foremost and recognizes our primary duty is to get more Democrats elected to more positions available. Eagle has been chair of the environmental focused policy group for the Denver Dems for a half decade now after being a regular member for the couple years previously. Also recently, earlier this spring , Eagle also became chair of the state environmental initiative that he had been Outreach Director of for two terms previously. Although Eagle’s primary politics passions lie in environmental policy more than humanitarian issues, he recognizes that life under the big tent of the party means helping to maintenance and reinforce all facets of liberal progressive policies, because together we are stronger. That is why Eagle stepped up to become a Captain at Large for Public Policy to not only help make his own environmental policy group he manages stronger, but to resurrect, rebrand, and revitalize the other groups that interests others in the party like Education, Healthcare, Labor & Economic Development, Social Justice, and Urban Planning. Eagle is also involved in other aspects of the party infrastructure to help lend a hand to other committee’s efforts.
The Frank Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award
The Frank Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has stood out as a lifelong champion for building and growing the Democratic Party in Denver.
2025 Awardee
Anne Farrell
A lifelong Democrat, Anne K. Farrell has always known the importance of using her voice to promote democratic ideals and to strengthen the Democratic Party’s sense of community and-performance at the ballot box. Twenty-two years ago, Anne and her husband (John) moved to Denver to care for their grandchildren. Anne served as a PCP, Finance Chair, Co-Captain, Captain and Chair of HD6. In these roles, Anne saw the value of growing the volunteer pool, increasing voter turnout and strengthening ties with elected legislators. She added potlucks to monthly meetings to give attendees the opportunity to renew their bonds and re-double their volunteer commitments. Anne initiated programs to increase fundraising for Get Out the Vote efforts, to register young and bilingual voters at 15 high schools and neighborhood festivals, to host bi-partisan forums at Windsor Gardens, and to deploy octogenarians to provide voter education. Anne spearheaded county-wide efforts to organize 300 volunteers for “Keep the Office Open” and “Rides to the Polls” during presidential campaigns. Despite the recent passing of her husband, Anne continues voter registration efforts at her senior living facility, registering new residents from out-of-state. Anne has three children (Marie, Jeb and Jennifer) and six grandchildren (Kenny, Helen, Jaye, Alexis, Elizabeth and Vivienne).
The Polly Baca Democrat of the Year Award
The Polly Baca Democrat of the Year Award recognizes a Democrat who has stood out as a champion for causes represented in the Party platform through public service, organizing or advocacy.
2025 Awardee
Senator Julie Gonzales
Senadora Julie Gonzales is a progressive Democrat serving north, west, and downtown Denver as the state Senator for SD34. With roots in Colorado that go back generations, Julie was born in Arizona and raised in south Texas. Her mother taught elementary school, her father was a rancher and medical cannabis producer, and Julie was the sixth of seven kids. After graduating from Yale University, Senator Gonzales moved to Denver, where she had previously spent summers in high school working to save money for college. Her family taught her the value of relentless hard work, honesty, and the importance of lifting as we climb. An organizer at her core, Senator Gonzales has dedicated her life to organizing for justice in Colorado. During her time in the Colorado state legislature, she protected access to abortion care, allocated millions of dollars to build affordable housing, strengthened protections for immigrant communities from ICE, advanced voting rights, and repealed the death penalty. Senator Gonzales is Chair of the Judiciary committee; Vice Chair of the Local Government & Housing, and is a member of the Appropriations, Finance, Legal Services, and Legislative Council committees. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus. Senator Gonzales lives in Jefferson Park with her husband Ben and their shih tzus Panda and Beans.
The Patricia Schroeder Rising Star Award
The Rising Star is an up-and-coming individual who demonstrates promise for the future in Denver in fighting for our community.
2025 Awardee
Representative Sean Camacho
Sean grew up in Colorado Springs in a working-class military family. His father, from Guam, and his mother, from Puerto Rico, both came to Colorado in search of opportunity. At 18, Sean entered the Air Force Academy, served in four overseas deployments, and later used the GI Bill to attend law school. Today, he and his wife, Jess, are raising their two young boys in Denver. Family shapes his perspective and keeps him focused on building a better future for Colorado. Alongside his legal career, Sean has worked to advance Democratic priorities, served on nonprofit boards, supported veterans and others in protecting their rights, and helped at-risk youth chart paths toward success. Sean believes that a good legislator isn’t just about passing laws — it’s about caring enough to listen, staying humble, building bridges, and knowing policy well enough to make a real difference. In his first term at the State House, that care showed up in big ways: he fought for a $2,500 raise for DPS teachers and staff, expanded behavioral health care for veterans and military families, passed common-sense gun reforms, and found a creative way to raise $100 million to help close a billion-dollar budget gap. But more than anything, Sean cares about fixing the root of the problem — taking on TABOR and repairing Colorado’s broken finance system so communities can thrive.
The Ellis McFadden Volunteer of the Year Award
The Ellis McFadden Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond as a party volunteer to help the party achieve its goals in voter outreach and getting out the vote in Denver.
2025 Awardee
Tyler Mangin
Tyler Mangin lives on the Northside of Denver with his wife Kristen, one-and-a-half year old Penny, and cat Monet. After a comprehensive search, no recent photos of Tyler without a baby appear to exist. Tyler was born a Democrat in Gold Hill, Colorado. He was a Boulder County Democrat, a College Democrat at the University of Colorado, and a Ward 3 Boston Democrat. Since 2021, he has been a Central Denver Democrat in House District 5. In that time he has helped to extend Get Out the Vote efforts, launch social media and marketing campaigns, increase fundraising and membership, and hold forums for candidates and ballot initiatives. In his day job he is an Economist, and in his other volunteer job he stacks produce for the Bienvenidos Food Bank. He likes cooking, making fruit wine, and winning elections.
The Gloria Tanner Party Builder Award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond to recruit or organize volunteers and leaders for the local Democratic Party.
The Gloria Tanner Party Builder Award
The Frank Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has stood out as a lifelong champion for building and growing the Democratic Party in Denver.
The Frank Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award
The Polly Baca Democrat of the Year Award recognizes a Democrat who has stood out as a champion for causes represented in the Party platform through public service, organizing or advocacy.
The Polly Baca Democrat of the Year Award
The Rising Star is an up-and-coming individual who demonstrates promise for the future in Denver in fighting for our community.
The Patricia Schroeder Rising Star Award
The Ellis McFadden Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond as a party volunteer to help the party achieve its goals in voter outreach and getting out the vote in Denver.
The Ellis McFadden Volunteer of the Year Award
History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes, and here in Denver, the refrain runs deep.
Nearly a century ago, Democrats showed us how to respond when the stakes are this high: we organize, we lead, and we build. Our Gala brings together Democrats to do exactly that. This night isn't just a fundraiser, it’s a celebration. It’s a resounding declaration that our values and our party are not relics of the past but blueprints for the future.
Come for an evening to connect, to give, and to be inspired for the work ahead. Because, in this moment, History inspires us, because the future needs us.
This year, we are very proud to honor two towering Denverites with awards in their names, Senator Polly Baca and the late Senator Gloria Tanner. We will follow up with profiles on these two amazing leaders.
The categories for the awards are as follows:
Awards
Democratic Party of Denver
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