Catch A Wave
Democrats have secured a candidate on the ballot in every 2018 Colorado congressional, statehouse and major statewide race.
The last candidate to make the ballot and fill out the party’s roster was Guinn Unger Jr., a Democrat from Bayfield, who is running for the seat currently held by Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose. Unger’s signatures were verified by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday.
“Democratic enthusiasm for the 2018 election is off the charts, and we’re capitalizing on that by running strong candidates in places we have never targeted before,” Matthew McGovern, executive director of House Majority Project, said in a written statement. “Having a Democratic candidate running in every district not only improves our chances of expanding the majority in the House and retaking the majority in the Senate, but it will help drive up Democratic turnout across the state and help provide campaign infrastructure for statewide candidates.”
One of the frustrations that left activists have rightfully had with the Democratic Party under Obama is that so many races went uncontested. Yes, everyone recognizes that there is only so much money to go around and most years are not going to be as favorable to Democrats as 2018. But this also builds infrastructure for future elections. It reminds Democrats to come vote in all their local elections. It identifies overachievers and builds benches. It lays the groundwork for future years–even if the candidates lose. Running someone for every single position should be the stated goal of every state Democratic Party in the nation. In fact, not doing that is tantamount to dereliction of duty.