Fitz-Gerald garners strong delegate lead

2nd District rival Polis hits key 30% mark at assemblies

John C. Ensslin

Monday, March 17, 2008

Jared Polis

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Jared Polis

Joan Fitz-Gerald

Joan Fitz-Gerald has racked up a commanding lead in delegates in her bid for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District, leading Jared Polis with 63 percent of the committed delegates.

However, Polis also claimed a measure of victory over the weekend by winning 37 percent of the delegates, more than enough to surpass the 30 percent required to earn a spot on the ballot, albeit not the top line.

The third candidate, conservationist Will Shafroth, has bypassed the county assemblies and is seeking to petition his way onto the ballot by collecting 1,000 valid signatures of Democratic voters in the district.

The three are vying for the seat being vacated by U.S Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs. All three are expected to face off in a districtwide primary Aug. 12.

Boulder and Jefferson counties - the final two of 10 counties to weigh in - held their assemblies over the weekend.

Although the two campaigns' running totals of the assemblies vary slightly, both agree that Fitz-Gerald won in Boulder, Polis' home county, with about 61 percent of the delegates. In her home county of Jefferson, Fitz- Gerald picked up 41 delegates to 22 for Polis.

Fitz-Gerald won in nine of the district's 10 counties, losing to Polis only in Broomfield.

But for Polis and his supporters, the magic number this weekend was 262, the number of delegates needed to reach the 30 percent threshold.

"This is great news for my campaign," Polis, a former state Board of Education member, said in a prepared statement. "To come into this race as the underdog candidate taking on the special interests, and emerge from county assemblies with over 30 percent feels great."

Fitz-Gerald, former state Senate president, said she was glad to have drawn the most delegate support but added that the campaign is far from over.

"It's a marathon," she said Sunday.

The next stop will be the 2nd Congressional District Assembly on May 10 at Ranum High School in Adams County.

ensslinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5291

• March 18, 2008

  1:01 a.m.

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  RockySux writes:

  Good. I can't stand Polis.