Why Local Elections Matter

THERE IS AN ELECTION THIS YEAR! Folks will be voting on local school board candidates and Proposition CC, so we're asking you to remind your friends and neighbors that it is their civic duty to vote, and that you're counting on them to be a good American and vote!

Ballots returned so far (as of 10.22.19)

Also remind your friends and neighbors that if they haven't registered to vote, need to update their voter registration, or need to know where they can drop off their ballot, they can go to justvoteColorado.org to find out where they can go in person!

Every Election Counts -- Lead Locally & Get Involved in 2019!

Nominate Awardees for the 2020 Obama Dinner!

Want to help us choose who will be named Democrat of the Year? Or given the Rising Star Award? Or named Volunteer of the Year?

Nominations for who will be honored at the 3rd Annual Obama Dinner on Saturday, April 18, 2020 are now open! Click here to tell us who YOU think should recognized at the Colorado Democratic Party's biggest annual celebration!

ALSO:

Tickets are NOW AVAILABLE for the 3rd Annual Obama Dinner -- the Colorado Democratic Party's biggest fundraiser and gala dinner of the year!

Join old friends and meet new allies from across our state on Saturday, April 18, 2020 to kick off the work needed to elect Democrats across Colorado in 2020.

Help us thank our hardworking volunteers by donating a scholarship ticket! Not only will you have the gratitude from a well deserving volunteer, your generosity will be recognized in our program.

Thank you for helping us be more inclusive at our gala dinner. Buy your tickets today!

Yes on Prop CC: Start Fixing Things!

Say "Yes on Prop CC"! Coloradans should vote 'Yes' this November on a ballot initiative that will allow Colorado to invest millions in roads, bridges, and schools without raising taxes.

Here's some graphics you can share so people can get the facts!

Impeachment Update: Ambassador Confirms Trump's Attempt at a Quid Pro Quo with Ukraine

Bill Taylor - Trump’s own top diplomat to Ukraine - made it clear in testimony on Tuesday to both the Democratic and Republican members of the House Committees on Intelligence, Oversight and Reform, and Foreign Affairs that Trump engaged in a quid pro quo.

In short: Taylor testified that Donald Trump withheld military assistance to Ukraine, pressing for the Ukrainian president to make a public announcement of investigations into Trump’s political rival and a conspiracy theory about the 2016 election.

From Taylor's opening statement, which can be read here and here:

“According to Mr. Morrison, President Trump told Ambassador Sondland that he was not asking for a ‘quid pro quo.’ But President Trump did insist that President Zelenskyy go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference, and that President Zelenskyy should want to do this himself. Mr. Morrison said that he told Ambassador Bolton and the NSC lawyers of this phone call between President Trump and Ambassador Sandland.”
“EVERYTHING” WAS DEPENDENT ON THE INVESTIGATIONS: Sondland said that “everything” was dependent on Ukraine publicly announcing the investigations that Trump wanted.
“Amb. Sondland also told me that he now recognized that he had made a mistake by earlier telling the Ukrainian officials to whom he spoke that a White House meeting with President Zelenskyy was dependent on a public announcement of investigations — in fact, Amb. Sondland said, ‘everything’ was dependent on such an announcement, including security assistance.’”
OR ELSE, U.S. AND UKRAINE WOULD REACH A “STALEMATE”: Ambassador Sondland told Ukraine’s president that if Zelensky failed to make the public announcement requested by Trump, the U.S and Ukraine would be at a “stalemate.”
“Ambassador Sondland said that he had talked to President Zelenskyy and Mr. Yermak and told them that, although this was not a quid pro quo, if President Zelenskyy did not ‘clear things up’ in public, we would be at a ‘stalemate.’ I understood a ‘stalemate’ to mean that Ukraine would not receive the much-needed military assistance. Ambassador Sondland said that this conversation concluded with President Zelenskky agreeing to make a public statement in an interview with CNN.”
UKRAINE NEEDED TO MAKE CLEAR IT WASN’T STANDING IN THE WAY OF THE INVESTIGATIONS: Ambassador Sondland told Taylor that the Ukrainian president needed to make it clear to Trump that he would not stand in the way of the “investigations” that were requested by Trump.
“On June 27, Ambassador Sondland told me during a phone conversation that President Zelenskyy needed to make clear to President Trump that he, President Zelenskyy, was not standing in the way of ‘investigations.’”

More resources on all things impeachment:

ICYMI: Recall Attempt Against Leroy Garcia FAILS

Good news, everyone! The sham recall attempt to recall Senate President Leroy Garcia of Pueblo failed.

With the announcement last week, that makes six failed recall attempts by Colorado Republicans:

Recall Attempt in House District 50 in Greeley: FAILED
Recall Attempt in HD37 in Centennial: FAILED
Recall Attempt in SD22 in Lakewood: FAILED
Recall Attempt in SD11 in Colorado Springs: FAILED
Recall Attempt against the Governor: FAILED
Recall Attempt in SD3 in Pueblo: FAILED

Make no mistake -- this happened because of YOU.

Thanks to you, Democrats were able to beat back the sham recall attempts being made by Republicans. Don't forget that back in March, Colorado GOP Chair Ken Buck said "We need to teach them how to spell R-E-C-A-L-L."

Here's our statement from Party Chair Morgan Carroll:

“The people of Colorado spoke loud and clear, and sent a message to the sore losers and con artists running these sham recalls — they don’t want their 2018 decisions to be overturned. The voters of these districts chose dedicated public servants — like Puebloan and Marine veteran Leroy Garcia — because they knew these state Senators and Representatives would fight for Colorado values at the State Capitol. The fact Colorado Republican Party chair Ken Buck kicked off his term as chair by promising to ‘teach Democrats how to spell R-E-C-A-L-L’ shows just how out of touch leadership in the Colorado GOP really is.”

“It’s incredibly vindicating that these desperate attempts by the Republicans were rejected so decisively. Now, Colorado can continue to move forward and our Democratic legislators can get back to doing the work of the people without interference from these cynical distractions.”

Join the High Fivers Club!

"What's the High Fivers Club", you ask? It started with a simple idea: There are nearly 1.2 million registered Democrats in Colorado -- what if every single one of them gave just $5 a month to the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP)?

Answer: The CDP would be the best-funded state party in the country -- with zero dollars from corporate PACs and plenty for flipping red seats to blue!

If you haven't given to the CDP yet, here's a few simple reasons why we're asking you today:

The CDP is the central base that supports volunteer recruitment, training candidates, and helping county parties win elections. While the DNC provides some limited funds, the reality is it is up to us to raise our own money so we can support Democratic candidates running for office in Colorado.
The CDP is neutral in primaries -- but once the Democratic nominee has emerged, we connect our vast network of volunteers to them so they can knock on more doors than the Republicans.
Elections and candidates come and go, but the CDP remains. We provide continuity so candidates don't have to reinvent the wheel every cycle.

Will you join the High Fivers Club? Click the logo below to join!

Volunteer of the Week: Patrick H.

Meet Patrick -- one of the CDP's newest admin volunteers! We're thrilled to welcome Patrick to the team as we continue to work hard every day to defeat Cory Gardner and Donald Trump.

Why Do You Volunteer for the CDP?
I volunteer because the Colorado Democratic Party is the party of the people. I believe elected officials in Colorado should represent and work for all Colorado citizens, not just their party leaders. Volunteering with the CDP means that more Coloradans will have the chance for our voices to be heard and to receive the representation we deserve, both here at home and in Washington DC. -- Patrick H.

Sign up for "Work for the Wave" Webinars!

Our party wouldn't be as organized and successful as it is without the talented and dedicated volunteers we have at the local levels. Want to brush up on your skills so you can help make sure Colorado goes blue in 2020? Sign up for an upcoming webinar:

October 28: Campaign Finance (Hosted by Martha Tierney)
How do you ensure that you're in compliance with Colorado's campaign finance laws while running a campaign and fundraising? Learn from attorney Martha Tierney.

November 14: Citizen Lobbying (Hosted by Morgan Carroll)
How do you exercise your power as an individual and citizen to engage with lawmakers and affect change in Colorado? Learn from CDP Chair (and former Colorado Senate President) Morgan Carroll on how to talk to lawmakers and how to become an advocate on issues you care about!

November 25: Messaging (Hosted by Halisi Vinson and David Pourshoushtari)
How do Democrats win the narrative, and ultimately break through all the noise to get their message out there? Learn from CDP Executive Director Halisi Vinson and Communications Director David Pourshoushtari about how to get your message out there through traditional and digital media!

December 9: Ranked-Choice Voting (Linda Templin)
Ranked-choice voting is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. Want to know how this works out in Colorado? Check out this webinar in December!

This Saturday: Join the CDP Women's Initiative for its First Conference

The Women's Initiative of the Colorado Democrats is hosting its first conference this Saturday. We have put together a terrific event and we would love for you to join us! This is a half-day conference designed to connect, rejoice and rejuvenate those of us that feel (know?) the work is never done.

Learn more or register here

This is designed to be a gathering where you can connect, network and think about some of the issues we do not get to talk about in other party settings. "Leading, Persisting, Resisting: Harnessing the Power of Women for Good - A conference for everyone" is brought to you by the Women's Initiative and the Circles of Influence.

Saturday, October 26, 2019, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm The Summit Conference & Event Center, 411 Sable Blvd, Aurora, CO 80011

Topics include:

Leadership in challenging times
Taking on inequity and injustice in our everyday lives - aka smashing the patriarchy!
Building power with our rural sisters and sharing views from across the state.
Art in our activism

Sign up today

We hope you will join us! Thank you!

Women's Initiative Officers

Karen Middleton, Chair
Lisa Neal-Graves, First Vice Chair
Sandie McNamara, Second Vice Chair
Stella Yu, Second Vice Chair
Betsy Daniel, Secretary
Vita Brown, Treasurer
Marlo Alston, Outreach Committee Chair

On The Road

CDP Chair Morgan Carroll, Vice Chair Howard Chou, Executive Director Halisi Vinson, Communications Director David Pourshoushtari, Communications Advisor Alyssa Roberts, Volunteer Coordinator Karin Asensio, and Statewide Field Coordinator Tyler McDermott joined Democrats in Montrose for an outreach stop and U.S. Senate forum. Alyssa joined Democrats in Summit for a U.S. Senate forum.

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Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Party of Colorado are not tax deductible.