Pat Shaver, chair of Arapahoe County Democrats, introduces candidates.
Several candidates and party Democratic faithful gathered at Moe’s Original BBQ in Aurora on Aug. 31 to listen to national Interim Party Chair Donna Brazile rally the troops for the upcoming election.
Brazile, who is in her 40th year of being a political activist, says she is tired of talking about Donald Trump—so much so that she has quit appearing on CNN and ABC. Instead, she is traveling the country talking about what she says is the positive message of Democratic candidates, top to bottom. She said she was in Colorado to help the party take back control of the state House and Senate.
Other speakers included Colorado Democratic State Chair Rick Palacio and state Sen. Morgan Carroll, candidate in the 6th Congressional District.
Because Arapahoe County now has more registered independent voters than registrants in either party, Palacio called it the “swing county of swing counties,” stressing that Democrats need to work even harder this fall.
“Counting day is Nov. 8. Election Day starts in 45 days,” he said, emphasizing the prominence of early voting through impending mail-in ballots.
Carroll said Democrats are starting to turn Arapahoe County “blue.”
“[Incumbent Rep. Mike] Coffman is in trouble, so his friends and allies, the Koch brothers and the Americans for Prosperity have taken this [congressional] house race in the country and invested six figures of negative political advertising. I think our message of hope and prosperity outweighs their negative message any day of the week,” she said.
People need to realize that national security “starts with growing allies, rather than enemies,” Carroll added.
The 6th District is considered among the most competitive battleground races in the country.
BY BECKY OSTERWALD
MANAGING EDITOR