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ANNOUNCING OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE 3RD ANNUAL OBAMA DINNER: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries! |
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We're so pleased to tell you that Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Congressional District 8 has graciously accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker for the 3rd Annual Obama Dinner!
The Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Congressman Jeffries represents parts of the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, and was elected to Congress in 2013. He sits on the House Judiciary Committee, and is also one of the impeachment managers alongside Congressman Jason Crow!
Congressman Jeffries recently made headlines when, during a speech he gave before the Senate on day two (Wednesday) of the impeachment trial, he quoted Biggie Smalls:
“We are here, sir, to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and present the truth to the American people. That is why we are here, Mr. Sekulow, and if you don’t know, now you know.”
Congressman Jeffries is an attorney who received his JD from New York University. He is married to Kennisandra Arciniegas-Jeffries, and they have two kids. |
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ICYMI: The 2020 Obama Dinner Awardees |
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You nominated, and you voted! Congratulations to these incredible Democrats for being recognized by their fellow Democrats all across our 64 counties! Make sure to buy your tickets to the 2020 Obama Dinner on Saturday, April 18, 2020! Click here or the button below to get your tickets or to buy a table! |
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Congratulations Senator Pettersen! |
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Davis James Silverii was born on Sunday, January 19, 2020. Davis is pictured with his mom, state Senator Brittany Pettersen, and his dad, Ian Silverii. |
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In case you missed the big news, our Colorado Democratic Party family just got a little bigger: state Senator Brittany Pettersen gave birth to a healthy baby boy -- Davis James Silverii -- this past Sunday!
It made news all over Colorado -- in the Colorado Sun and in the Denver Post -- and it even made national headlines in Good Morning America!
Colorado State Sen. Brittany Pettersen gave birth this week to a son named Davis, becoming one of the very few state lawmakers in Colorado history to have a baby while serving in a legislative session.
The first woman in the state to do so, then-Sen. Barbara S.Holme, gave birth to a son in June 1981, just two days before the Colorado General Assembly went into recess, according to Colorado Public Radio, which corrected earlier reports that Pettersen was the first in state history to deliver during a session.
"I know I'm not going to be the last [lawmaker to give birth during session]," said Pettersen, who gave birth Jan. 19. "It's reflective of our changing times."
"It's reflective of our changing times," she said. "We have more women running and more women winning."
We offer our love and big congratulations to Senator Pettersen and Ian on the birth of their beautiful baby boy! |
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A Date with History! |
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Heads up, folks! Friday, February 14, 2020 is not only Valentine's Day, but it's also the last day to register, affiliate as a Democrat, and live in the precinct you want to caucus in! Help us spread the word by sharing this graphic on social media!
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APPLY NOW: Be a National Delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention! |
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Rollcall being taken at the 2008 DNC in Denver, CO! |
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Want to represent Colorado and witness history firsthand as the Democratic grassroots select their nominee for President? Want to hear awesome speakers and meet incredible Democrats from all across the country? Then you need to apply to be a delegate at the 2020 Democratic National Convention that's happening in Milwaukee, WI on the week of July 13, 2020. Click here to check out the application! |
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News from the Capitol |
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To ensure Colorado's election systems stay safe and secure, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold held a simulation of worst-case election scenarios with election officials from across the state (think hacks, lost ballots, etc). This type of training ensures Colorado's election officials are prepared to deal with any threat to our democracy. |
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Attorney General Phil Weiser spoke to 9News' Marshall Zelinger about the importance of the Supreme Court's decision to hear the faithless electors case. Watch the interview here! |
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Lawmakers in the Colorado General Assembly announced new legislation to tackle the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs in Colorado. Led by state Senators Kerry Donovan (SD5) and Joann Ginal (SD14) and state Representatives Dylan Roberts (HD26) and Dominique Jackson (HD42), House Bill 20-1160 creates the Colorado Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act of 2020.
This requires insurance companies, big pharma, and drug middlemen to reporter to the Colorado Commissioner of Insurance specifics on how they price medications so the commissioner can submit a report on how the prices impact insurance premiums. The bill also requires the insurance companies to reduce their premiums, ultimately saving Coloradans money on their healthcare.
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Work for the 2020 Wave Webinars |
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Mr. Krabs is shocked how much Spongebob is learning from the CDP Webinars! |
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Ready to launch another blue wave in 2020? Get all the information you need at our work for the wave webinar! |
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Caucus for the Public (Hosted by Morgan Carroll) Monday, January 27, 2020 @ 6:00pm MST The Blue Wave in 2020 all starts with caucus! This is a webinar intended for people who want to know more about why or how to attend caucus on March 7, 2020 at 2:00pm. This will demystify caucus so that you feel right at home an ready to make a difference and make history. Click here to sign up! |
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Caucus Training for Democratic Party Organizers (Hosted by Halisi Vinson) Tuesday, January 28, 2020 @ 6:00pm MST Having a smooth caucus process is going to be critical to ensuring that folks who caucus continue on to their assemblies and conventions! Learn how to organize a smooth caucus here! Click here to sign up. |
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County Assembly and Convention for Organizers (Hosted by Halisi Vinson) Monday, February 10, 2020 @ 6:00pm MST First comes caucus -- then comes single-county assemblies and convention! Learn how to ensure the next step in the democratic process goes smoothly by clicking here to attend this webinar! |
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Multi-County Assembly for Organizers (Hosted by Halisi Vinson) Monday, February 24, 2020 @ 6:00pm MST Multi-county assemblies and conventions are the final step before we get to the state assembly and convention on April 18! Learn how to run those by clicking here to sign up for this webinar! |
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Join the High Fivers Club! |
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"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:
Click the logo below to join High Fivers Club! |
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CDP Education Initiative Meeting |
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Join the Colorado Democratic Education Initiative for a meeting on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 1:30PM! The program will focus on school funding. Sign up for the event by clicking here! |
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Now Hiring: DSCF Executive Director |
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The Democratic Senate Campaign Fund -- the campaign arm of the CDP focused on defending our state Senate majority -- is hiring a new Executive Director! Click here to see the job description! |
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Rural Spotlight from Shelia: Ouray County |
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Ouray County is located in southwestern Colorado and was named for Chief Ouray, one of the most prominent leaders of the Tabeguache Utes in the nineteenth century. Ouray County covers 524 square miles and is boarded by Montrose County to the north and northwest, San Miguel County to the southwest, San Juan County to the south, Hinsdale County to the south east and Gunnnison County to the northeast. Largest populated cites are Ridgway and Ouray (which is the county seat). |
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Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta |
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By the 1500s, Ouray County was largely inhabited by Tabeguache Utes (later called the Uncompahgres). In the summer of 1778, a party led by friars Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante came over Dallas Divide on the western edge of present-day Ouray County. They met and traded with Tabeguache Utes, who helped guide the parties and warned them about possible attacks from the Comanche, one of the Utes’ great rivals. Ouray, the famous Tabeguache chief whose name translates to “the arrow,” was born in 1833. In addition to the Ute language, Ouray was fluent in Spanish and learned a bit of English. Around 1858 the discovery of gold in Colorado brought many white prospectors to the area. In 1863 a “symbolic” treaty was signed with the Ute people which was later replaced with the treaty of 1868 which stated that the Utes were to remain on the Western Slope in exchange for thirty years of annuities valued at $60,000, as well as a guarantee that no nonnative person be allowed on Ute lands. In 1879 the Meeker Massacre, a Ute uprising in northwest Colorado, prompted the Utes’ expulsion from the state. The government drew up an agreement that sent the Utes onto a reservation in eastern Utah. Ouray County was established on January 18, 1877, it stretched from the Utah border in the west to its present-day boundary on the east; the county’s current boundaries were drawn in 1883. |
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Today, Ouray County, known as the “Switzerland of America” for the surrounding high peaks, offers many wonderful activities from its peaceful rejuvenating hot springs to world renowned ice climbing and Mt Sneffels. In 2011 the Ridgway Creative District was established bringing in local painters, potters, photographers, and other artists. Christmas time in Ouray is a magical time with beautifully lit streets and festivities galore. |
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Ouray’s federal and state races look pretty blue. The local races are mixed, which is not unusual in rural counties where people seem to vote for who they know. In 2018, 69.37% of the registered voters had their ballots counted and in 2019, 54.75% turned out to have their ballots counted. There are approximately 1,254 registered Democrats (Up 20%), 1,347 Republicans (up 8%) and 1,806 Unaffiliated (up 24%). John Hollrah is the chair of the Ouray Democrats, and if you would like more information about the Ouray Democrats, please drop John a line at [email protected]. |
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Keep Colorado Wild,
Shelia Shelia Canfield-Jones Vice Chair of Rural Outreach |
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Volunteer of the Week: Mary Kate M. |
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Meet Mary Kate -- our volunteer lead on our letters to the editor project! Mary Kate is a gifted writer who has volunteered for political causes from a young age. She took a few minutes to chat with us about why she volunteers, and why others should do the same!
Why do you volunteer? I've been volunteering for progressive causes since I was 5 years old, sitting in my neighbor's basement stuffing envelopes. I've helped campaigns with both field organizing and communications, most recently as a Communications Fellow for Hillary for Colorado and the Field-Communications Liaison for Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor. I'm also a Lead Organizer with All on the Line (formerly OFA), focusing on gerrymandering and fair elections. I've been volunteering with the Colorado Democrats specifically for several years, first as a translator and now as the Letters to the Editor Project Lead. I'm driven by my commitment to social justice and my belief that we can only achieve it through political means.
What would you say to someone who has thought of volunteering, but hasn't taken that first step? We're in a unique moment of heightened civic and political engagement, but we need everyone to step up to make sure we capitalize on the energy to drive long-term change and to build an infrastructure that will last beyond just the next election.
Want to volunteer? Reach out to our volunteer coordinator Karin Asensio at [email protected], and see how YOU CAN GET INVOLVED! |
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UPDATED: Democratic U.S. Senate Candidates |
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(read from left, listed by alphabetical order) Diana Bray, Lorena Garcia, David Goldfischer, John Hickenlooper, Critter Milton, Andrew Romanoff, Stephany Rose Spaulding, Erik Underwood, Michelle Ferrigno Warren, Trish Zornio. |
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Impeachment Trial Underway |
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Impeachment manager Jason Crow begins his opening argument before the U.S. Senate on the impeachment of President Trump. |
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Colorado's Rep. Jason Crow argues to subpoena documents about Ukraine military aid in impeachment trial
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat, invoked his military service Tuesday, arguing that the White House budget office should be required to turn over documents involved in the case against President Donald Trump, as the impeachment trial got underway in the U.S. Senate.
One of seven House managers prosecuting the charges, Crow urged senators to approve a subpoena for documents from the Office of Management and Budget that he maintained would help prove Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress, as the articles of impeachment allege.
"These documents go directly to one of President Trump’s abuses of power — his decision to withhold vital military aid from a strategic partner that’s at war, to benefit his re-election campaign," Crow said. ... Morgan Carroll, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, lashed Gardner, who is seeking a second term in November, in a statement Tuesday night.
"Senator Gardner has claimed that he would be an impartial juror in this impeachment trial, but in the opening hours of the Senate trial, he voted three times with his fellow Republicans to block key documents from subpoena," Carroll said.
"If President Trump is innocent, why would Gardner and Republicans block relevant evidence in a fair and impartial trial? Gardner’s vote shows he is more interested in covering up for Trump than in finding the truth."
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Romney’s silence, Trump's strategy and other news from today's trial
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) kicked off Democrats’ arguments on Thursday by making the case that President Donald Trump’s alleged misconduct “puts even President Nixon to shame.”
“This conduct is not ‘America First,’” Nadler said, in reference to Trump’s campaign slogan. “This conduct is Donald Trump first.”
Nadler’s comments opened up the second day of House Democrats’ opening arguments, which focus on the constitutional framework for Congress' impeachment power, as it applies to the first article of impeachment: abuse of power. Democrats will delve into the second article — obstruction of Congress — on Friday.
The Judiciary Committee chairman also played a clip from Alan Dershowitz, a member of Trump’s defense team, who said in 1998 that an impeachable offense “certainly doesn’t have to be a crime.” Dershowitz has argued the opposite as it applies to Trump, and he is expected to make that argument on the Senate floor in the coming days.
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ICYMI: Lev Parnas says Trump 'knew exactly what was going on' with Ukraine pressure campaign
Indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, a central figure in the White House's alleged Ukraine pressure campaign, said President Donald Trump "knew exactly what was going on" despite his repeated denials of wrongdoing.
"He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the President," Parnas told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night. "I have no intent, I have no reason, to speak to any of these officials." Parnas asserted he was the one "on the ground" doing Trump and Giuliani's work, "and that's the secret that they're trying to keep."
"Why would President Zelensky's inner circle, or Minister Avakov, or all these people, or President Poroshenko, meet with me? Who am I? They were told to meet with me," he said.
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Lev Parnas Attorney Shares Video of Mike Pence with Indicted Giuliani Associate after VP Denies Knowing Him
Joseph Bondy, the attorney for Lev Parnas, shared on Twitter a video showing his client at an event with Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence.
The vice president has denied knowing Parnas after the Ukrainian American businessman accused him of working on an alleged scheme to pressure Ukraine's government. "I don't know the guy," Pence said last week, CNN reported, calling Parnas's claims "completely false."
In the video clip, Parnas is seen holding the hand of Karen Pence and talking with her as the vice president stands by her side, speaking to someone else. Towards the end of the 23-second video, Parnas is seen reaching towards Mike Pence, waiting to shake his hand.
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On The Road! |
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Colorado Dems were out in full force this past weekend, registering voters at both the Womxn's March and the MLK Marade! Statewide Field Coordinator Tyler McDermott and Volunteer Coordinator Karin Asensio organized over 120 volunteers alone at the Womxn's March! CDP Chair Morgan Carroll, Executive Director Halisi Vinson, and Karin were at the Colorado Black Roundtable's MLK event, while Tyler organized volunteers to register voters at the Marade! Tyler and Communications Director David Pourshoushtari were on hand to celebrate with NARAL Pro-choice Colorado -- now known as Cobalt! |
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