Colorado delegates cast votes for Obama, Clinton

By Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 27, 2008 at 8:11 a.m.
Updated August 27, 2008 at 10:58 a.m.

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Photo by Ed Sealover

Colorado DNC delegate Julia Hicks sports a pinwheel headband in the colors of the state's flag after casting her ballot for BARACK Obama this morning

Photo by Ed Sealover

DNC delegate Lynn Young of Colorado Springs casts a ballot for Barack Obama Wednesday morning.

DENVER — An estimated 15-20 of Colorado’s 70 delegates cast their votes for Hillary Clinton at the assembly’s breakfast meeting today, although the final results are not expected to be announced until this afternoon.

Delegates from all states voted for the presidential nominees at their breakfast meetings this morning.

In Colorado, most of the delegates who were chosen at the Feb. 2 Democratic caucus to represent Clinton said they were sticking to their commitment and casting their votes for her today.

But around noon, Clinton is expected to officially release her delegates, allowing them to then switch their votes to Barack Obama.

Colorado Democratic Party Chairwoman Pat Waak said she would announce the official Colorado count after all delegates had voted. As of 9:45 a.m, she was waiting on one super delegate, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar.

On the convention floor tonight, a state-by-state roll call vote will be taken. It is expected that at some point in that process, a motion will be made to take a vote to stop the roll call vote and nominate Obama by acclamation.

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton supporters got their chance to cast in stone their votes for their presidential candidates of choice Wednesday morning.

After Clinton supporters petitioned to bring such a vote about -- an effort led by Colorado backers -- delegates got ballots with the chance to vote for her, Obama, other or abstain. Delegates cast their ballots before heading into their morning breakfast.

The relationship between the two camps has been strained leading up to the convention, with at least one Clinton delegate, Sacha Millstone, of Boulder, saying that she was considering backing Republican John McCain in November. While arguments between the sides continued to flare at times this week, most of the delegates said the healing process has moved far and the morning vote brought some finality to it.

Delegate Bryan Gonzales, of Basalt, one of the 300 people who petitioned to have the vote, cast his ballot for Clinton. He then said that he looked forward to getting behind Obama 100 percent as soon as the roll call vote finishes at tonight's convention session.

"I'm very relieved to get to this moment," a still sleepy Gonzales said. "She ran a great campaign. I think she would have made a great president. I'm glad it's over. Go Barack Obama!"

Delegate Gordon Williams, of Lakewood, who had written an e-mail to the delegation explaining why he wanted to cast his vote for Clinton but not be seen as an anti-Obama voter, did just what he'd said and said he felt proud to do it. But he too will support Obama fully, and he believes the division between the two camps has receded, he said.

"You would actually hear comments like 'Get over it' at first," Williams said. "But as we have gotten closer to the convention, I think we've gradually become a more united delegation."

Colorado Springs delegate Mike Maday, an Obama supporter, said he believes that the vote officially brings an end to what had been a spirited race. "I think Democrats are ready to go now," he said.

Julia Hicks, an Obama delegate from Westminster, added that Clinton's Tuesday speech imploring the party to coalesce around Obama made giant strides to heal any chasm that was left. Hicks, who voted for Jesse Jackson before Michael Dukakis was nominated in 1988, said she is not concerned with the talk from a few people still about bad feelings.

"What she did last night was fantastic: Girlfriend was off the chain," she said of Clinton's speech. "I couldn't believe how good she was."

Clinton delegates will meet with her at a luncheon today where the New York senator is expected to release all of them from their pledges to vote for her, Gonzales added.

• August 27, 2008

  11:15 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetie writes:

  McCain got Obama's bump right in the middle of obama's convention.Don't you love it.

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