Colorado Politics

GOP gathers to cheer on Trump, relishes contest with Sanders

When Fox News’ announcement that Bernie Sanders had won Colorado flashed on the big-screen TV overhead on Super Tuesday night at Washington Park Grille in Denver, hardly anyone at the Trump monthly “MAGA meet-up” batted an eye.

The crowd of about 75 people seemed to be unanimously confident that, no matter who ultimately wins the 2020 Democratic primary, they won’t stand a chance against Republican President Donald Trump.

In the Republican primary, Trump coasted to an easy win with nearly 90% of support among GOP voters. The commanding win marks a sharp reversal from his performance four years ago in a state that handed Ted Cruz a win and left Trump empty-handed.

Regina Serna, a business development manager at FreemanWhite, said “it really doesn’t matter” who wins the Democratic nomination: “Trump is going to win.”

Every Democratic candidate has their issues, said Kyle Kohli, spokesman for the RNC in Colorado. For that reason, “We’ll take anyone.”

Kristi Burton Brown, the Colorado GOP vice chairwoman, agreed.

“I think, honestly, President Trump would beat any of them, but I would pick Bernie Sanders,” she said before the results were announced. “I think he illustrates how extremely left the Democratic party nationally has gone right now, and I think their party and America at large needs to have a reckoning with that and see if that’s really what it means to be a Democrat is to be a socialist.”

The Vermont senator’s win is “not much of a surprise for Colorado,” said Kristina Cook, the chairwoman of the Denver GOP. “We tend to be outliers, I think, on both sides of the divide. The support that I’ve seen, the youth of our population, it makes a lot of sense to me that Sanders would win Colorado.”

“While socialist Colorado Democrats may be ready for Bernie Sanders’ government takeover of our healthcare and the sky-high taxes to pay for it, hard-working Coloradans want no part of his damaging policy proposals,” Kohli said in a statement Tuesday night. “Colorado Republicans, meanwhile, sent a message tonight that they are united behind President Trump and his record of success, including record low unemployment, low taxes, and fairer trade deals for our workers.”

Cook said, on the ground, her main goal is to try and do things differently.

“We’re trying to think outside the box and trying to make it so that it’s not a scary thing to be a Republican in Denver,” she said.

Part of the GOP’s efforts include holding the monthly gatherings for Trump supporters, beefing up the state’s field staff, holding rallies and staying organized. The Trump campaign has, for many months, assembled extensive volunteer recruitment and training and field operations that they’ve deployed to encourage people to turn in their ballots and vote to reelect the president.

Jonathan Woodley, who ran for Denver City Council to represent District 9 last year, said although he’s confident Trump will win again, he doesn’t want to be overly so.

“I’m a military guy, so I always have my guard up,” he said. “I don’t take anybody or anything for granted, because, at the end of the day, it all matters come November 3 when all those votes are tallied. That’s when I’ll feel good about Trump being in office again is when it’s called.”

Kristina Cook, chairwoman of the Denver GOP, speaks with other President Donald Trump supporters at a monthly “MAGA meet-up” on Super Tuesday at Washington Park Grille in Denver. 
(Alayna Alvarez, Colorado Politics)
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