Footsteps and voices echoed in the hallway at East High Saturday as a half dozen volunteers and occasionally other Republicans trickled in from the warm, bright.

Organizers for the GOP caucuses with 56 precincts had a pool with an over-under of 30 people showing up, when they layered the coronavirus and low stakes onto the Saturday morning sunlight and last Tuesday’s presidential primary.

The “under” was way under, a few more than a dozen people showed up and the Republican caucuses in Denver were over in about 50 minutes. No Republican candidates showed up.

Republicans and Democrats across Colorado held their caucuses Saturday to choose delegates to the county and state assemblies.

Denver Republicans occupied East High in the morning, and Democrats were expected to convene there and other locations across the state in the afternoon.

In some precincts Republicans voted on non-presidential candidates for local and federal offices. There were none in Denver, with President Trump nor U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner facing serious primary challenges in Colorado.

“The race really starts today,” said Kristina Cook, Denver County’s party chair. “This is where our ground game gets organized. This is where our delegates get elected and this is where we start to get to November.”

Four years ago, delegates to the state convention in Colorado Springs elected delegates to the Republican National Convention that summer. All 34 went for Sen. Ted Cruz.

There were no obvious defectors from the Republican president Saturday in Denver, however.

“I’m excited about the job he’s doing – record low unemployment, trade being opened up, that to me speaks to the strength of America, and President Trump has made that happen,” Cook said.

For Gardner to get re-elected, “I think he needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” she said. “He’s supporting President Trump and he’s starting to show up at campaign events and deliver that message.”

As the event wound down, local precinct captain Barry Brandt talked about being a conservative in a city trending to the left. Keeping the faith is important for the GOP to make a comeback locally, he said.

“You have to do things like this to maintain the organization,” he said of the caucuses, as he pulled on a cap identifying himself as an Air Force veteran. “We elect precinct committee people who are the grassroots people. I say that because I’m one of them.”

About that time a young family meandered toward the front door of East High School, but veered off when they realized a political function was taking place.

They were on a morning stroll, not participating in democracy.

“This is a lovely old school,” said Kim Richardson, who lives in the neighborhood with her husband and daughter. “It’s great to walk here, but I don’t care anything about politics.”