Thanks to everyone that turned out for Democratic caucuses in SD 31. I started the evening at Dora Moore School, just down the street from my house. Rep. Lois Court and I greeted the crowd in the gymnasium before they broke out into precincts in meeting rooms scattered throughout the building. The crowd was large and there was a lot of energy in the air. When we first arrived Sen. Chris Romer and Andrew Romanoff were also present, working the room and shaking hands.
Once we broke out into precincts I checked in with the folks in Precinct 601 and let them know that I wanted to be considered as a delegate to the county assembly. I promptly departed for Greenlee School in HD 5. My timing was perfect, as the moment I walked into the cafeteria at Greenlee they were introducing the elected officials in the crowd and allowing them to give brief remarks. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd as I quickly thanked everyone for participating and then scooted out the door. I had selected Greenlee as one of the caucus locations on my itinerary that evening because every precinct meeting there was in SD 31 and it was very near the freeway.
My next stop was also planned because all the precincts were in SD 31 and it was right off Highway 36 at the Pecos St. exit. People at Clear Lake Middle School were almost ready to leave when I arrived, as they had make quick work of their caucuses. I got to speak right after the site coordinator was giving final instructions and people were gathering their belongings. Again, there were lots of familiar faces and a few people wanting to have a quick chat.
Next up was Tennyson Knolls Elementary School. By the time I got there most folks were on their way out the door, but I had a nice conversation with several people in the hallway and got to put some new faces together with familiar names. Rep. Cherylin Peniston was still there and we got to compare notes for a moment. This was my last stop in Adams County because it was apparent they had been very efficient with their time and caucuses were already over.
Back in Denver, I decided to stop at Morey Middle School on my way home. I hadn’t planned to stop at this school, but it’s also very near my house and there were a lot of cars still parked in the lot and on the street. I found most HD 5 precincts at Morey were still meeting or just completing their work. I spoke to a couple of precincts and saw lots of friends and supporters. I had a couple of long parking lot conversations before I finally made it back to my car.
I made one final stop back at Dora Moore, where I had started my evening, just to see if anyone was still there. The site coordinator was the only person I spoke with and learned that everyone except for Precinct 603 had gone home. Because 603 is in SD 32, I didn’t bother them and instead decided to call it a night. I got home at about 9:35 p.m.
The entire evening was very uplifting. The energy among the Democratic activist base was high, and at each stop along the way I ran into friends and met new people. I received many compliments that night and was somewhat surprised to learn that many people I’d never met had heard about my work in the Senate, knew about bills I was sponsoring, or told me they watched me on The Colorado Channel. Precinct Caucus night was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to the assemblies that are the next step in our nominating process:
Adams County Assembly – Saturday, March 27, 2010
Denver County Assembly – Saturday, April 10, 2010
SD 31 Assembly – Thursday, April 22, 2010
State Assembly – Saturday, May 22, 2010
