WESTMINSTER — Democrat Jared Polis earned the votes he needed Saturday to have his name on the Aug. 12 primary ballot alongside Joan Fitz- Gerald’s for a congressional seat.
Polis received 39.9 percent of the vote to Fitz-Gerald’s 60.1 percent at the 2nd Congressional District Assembly and Convention at Ranum High School.
A third Democrat, Will Shafroth, is petitioning his way onto the ballot.
Other Democratic congressional districts meeting Saturday included the 1st at South High School in Denver and 7th at Alameda High School in Lakewood.
A highlight at all three sessions was the selection of 17 delegates and three alternates to the Democratic National Convention this August in Denver.
Former state Sen. Terry Phillips said Saturday that the votes were still being counted and that the names of the 17 delegates would be available Monday.
More national delegates will be chosen Friday, when the 3rd, 4th and 5th congressional districts will hold their assemblies. The 6th congressional district met May 3.
On Saturday, the state’s 70-member delegation will be completed with the selection of at-large delegates at the state party convention in Colorado Springs.
At Ranum High School, the hallways and auditorium were packed wall-to-wall with Democrats who waved signs for Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and local candidates.
They cheered loudly after a speaker said, “Democrats in, Republicans out. This is a new day in America.”
“This is extraordinary and is happening all over the country,” said former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, who is a national co-chairman for Obama. “It’s all very positive.”
Across the hall, Nancy Rippen of Boulder took a break in the cafeteria. She was not looking to fill a delegate slot.
“I’ll be an election judge and do Democrat party stuff. It’s exciting,” Rippen said.
In the race for the University of Colorado Board of Regents, Joe Neguse, 24, got 84 percent of the vote to qualify for the primary ballot. CU-Regent candidate Curt Williams fell short of qualifying with 16 percent of the vote, according to Terry Phillips, chairman of the 2nd Congressional Central Committee.
Neguse said he’s been campaigning for eight months and has called on or visited the homes of more than 400 people.
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
