Montezuma County Democrats held a virtual Election Day watch party Tuesday evening to celebrate reaching and exceeding their advocacy goals, despite clear outcomes in the election.
Results were not in for the most contentious races by the time the watch party ended, but Mary Dodd, chair of the Montezuma County Democrats, shared accomplishments the Democrats made in a largely Republican corner of the state.
As of Oct. 10, there are 3,560 active voting Democrats in Montezuma County, alongside 7,601 active voting Republicans and over 6,400 active unaffiliated voters.
By midday on Election Day, Montezuma County Democrats brought a higher voter turnout than 2018.
County Democrats also raised $11,000 in a single fundraiser, a large amount without having an in-person event, Dodd said.
Attendees chatted about rising tensions after the polls closed, as well as what went well and what didn’t during their campaigning efforts such as phone banking.
“We want it to be a positive discussion – we are tired of the tension and strife, particularly in our county,” Dodd said in a phone interview before the event.
Despite the national Democratic wave in 2018 that brought a Democratic majority to the Colorado Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives, Montezuma County has remained a majority Republican county.
Polls show presidential candidate Joe Biden and U.S. Senate candidate John Hickenlooper in the lead in an increasingly Democratic Colorado, but local races are less likely to bring a Democrat to victory in the traditionally conservative corner of the state.
The Montezuma County Patriots led their most political Freedom Ride on Saturday morning, calling out “Trump 2020” and “four more years.”
Small groups of Trump for President and Don’t Tread on Me flag wavers lined Main Street in Cortez Tuesday morning as in-person voting began in poll locations across the country.
Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives Diane Mitsch Bush briefly joined the Zoom call to thank Montezuma Democrats for their support.
“You’ve been rocking it,” Mitsch Bush said to the group.
If she wins, she will be the first Democrat since 2008 to win the 3rd Congressional District. The former state representative and sociology professor faces political newcomer and restaurant owner Lauren Boebert, who won against a five-term incumbent in the Republican primary with her far-right stances.
Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, beat Mitsch Bush by 8 percentage points in the 2018 election.
“But this time it’s a very different race,” Mitsch Bush said during the watch party.
The tension will is not set to dissipate anytime soon.
Pueblo County’s clerk said it may not have results until Friday, and Garfield and Mesa Counties will continue to count ballots into Wednesday or Thursday.
ehayes@the-journal.com