Colorado’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention on Sunday began rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden announced he would end his reelection bid and endorsed Harris to replace him on the ticket.
The Colorado Sun on Sunday afternoon immediately began polling the state’s 87 delegates, which include the state’s two U.S. senators and five U.S. House members, to the convention in Chicago next month. Most reached by The Sun said they planned to support Harris during the Aug. 19-22 gathering, with the exception of a few who said it was too early to weigh in.
While Colorado’s delegates represent a fraction of the 4,700 delegates who will pick the Democratic standard-bearer at the convention, they will have an important voice in the process. Biden cannot transfer his delegates to Harris, so delegates are now free to back whomever they wish to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
Wanda James, a University of Colorado regent from Denver who is one of the state’s DNC delegates, on Sunday said she was relieved by Biden’s decision.
“We knew that this was coming,” she said. “We knew that it had to come. Stop the dumb shit. Get behind Kamala. And let’s move forward. Let’s give her the absolute best vice president that we can have.”
James said her first choice to be Harris’ running mate is Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“It’s time. Two of the most powerful leaders in America right now happen to be women,” James said. “Let’s not be afraid of that.”
State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat and another DNC delegate, said she will be backing Harris.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Kamala Harris is the leader we all need right now,” Herod said. “It’s time to come together and fight to protect everything we hold dear — our democracy, our freedoms and our people.”
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So will RTD Director Paul Rosenthal, another delegate.
“I’m so excited for a Kamala Harris presidency,” he said. “She has demonstrated already she has the leadership to build on the last four years of accomplishments to help the American people. I’m looking forward to seeing who she picks as her running mate. Democrats have a huge bench of qualified candidates to choose from.”
State Rep. Meg Froelich, a Colorado delegate from Englewood, said she, too, will support Harris and is “excited for the convention.”
“I’ve always hoped for a woman president,” she said.
Gov. Jared Polis hinted at his support for Harris with a social media post full of emojis, while Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold outright endorsed Harris. Both Polis and Griswold are DNC delegates.
Irene Bonham, a DNC delegate from Parker, said she respects Biden’s decision “and I believe this shows his commitment to putting the country and democracy first.”
“This must have been one of the hardest decisions of his life. I am eager to hear more from Vice President Harris about her plans. I have always been impressed by her intelligence and integrity,” Bonham said.
Ayinde Summey, a delegate from Colorado’s 6th Congressional District in the Denver suburbs, said he wasn’t that surprised by Biden’s decision and that he’s still positive about Democratic chances with Harris at the top of the ticket.
“I believe that they can pull this off with the right running mate,” Summey said. “I will do my part as an elected delegate from the state of Colorado to make sure that we have the best ticket to really blow (former President Donald) Trump out of the water.”
At-large delegate Isaiah Cordova said he wished Biden had exited the race sooner.
“VP Harris has a hard fight in front of her but I’m hopeful she can make the contrast between her and Trump very plain for the voters to see,” he said.
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Calyn Rieger, a 24-year-old from Avon who is an at-large delegate, noted that Biden’s withdrawal sets a historic stage. He will support Harris at the convention.
“I ultimately see this as an opportunity of letting history reshape itself, in the sense where we’re going to be focusing on what’s best for the American people,” he said, adding “we need younger people who have experience, who are there because they want to be there and not because this lobbyist or this donor told them to do so.”
Polly Baca, a DNC delegate from Denver, had called herself a “strong supporter of President Biden.” Now, she’s all about Harris.
“I’ll be voting for her at the DNC convention,” the former state senator said Sunday.
Baca had said earlier that if Biden dropped out of the race, Harris was the only choice to replace him. “If you don’t choose Kamala then it’s an insult to women and people of color,” she said.
Two Colorado leaders who weren’t ready to back Harris publicly yet were Treasurer Dave Young — “I’m not ready yet to make a comment,” he said — and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who declined to comment through a spokesman.
Weiser also declined to comment earlier this month when asked by The Sun if he planned on supporting Biden at the convention. In a statement Sunday in response to Biden’s decision that “leadership is about doing what is right, especially when it’s hard.”
The Sun also reached out Sunday afternoon to the seven Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation. All of them said they are backing Harris.
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, posted on social media that he was endorsing Harris. He called her “a dedicated public servant and trailblazer who has delivered real progress for the people of our country.”
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, endorsed Harris, too.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, said the congresswoman will back Harris and would be making a formal endorsement Monday.