Maybe the title of my post is a little misleading. You see, it isn’t the Democratic Party in Archuleta County that’s getting national attention; instead, its a group of Democrats who have formed a chapter of the non-partisan group Drinking Liberally in Pagosa Springs that are getting the attention. But you get the point.

This morning, I was greeted with a nice e-mail. It was from the national Drinking Liberally group. You’ve seen me write about attending Drinking Liberally events in Colorado Springs and Canon City, and how I’ve encouraged you to start your own Drinking Liberally group. Well, some folks in Pagosa Springs did just that. And they became the 200th chapter of Drinking Liberally in the nation!

Here’s a bit of the e-mail from Drinking Liberally this morning:

Thanks to the citizens of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, our little national network now stretches to 200 chapters. Nebraska and Maine just jumpstarted their first groups, New Orleans recently revitalized its gathering, and from sea to shining sea, libating liberals are promoting democracy one pint at a time.

Some of you turn to DL as oases in conservative corners of the country, others of you raise your political pints in more progressive pastures. Together we have created communities around shared liberal values — we have greeted candidates and Congress Members, hosted authors and bloggers, while welcoming activists and newcomers to share ideas and experiences…and sharing a few drinks.

I’m headed to Canon City’s Drinking Liberally tonight (5:30 until ??? at Brother’s in Canon City, across from Democratic HQ, in case you happen to be in the area). Pagosa became the first chapter on Colorado’s Western Slope, but probably not the last. I’ve heard rumors of folks working to set up a chapter in Steamboat Springs, and I’m still waiting on my friends in Durango (as well as Pueblo over here on the Front Range) to get one started. While not affiliated with the Democratic Party, Drinking Liberally is a great way to get folks active and involved in the electoral process who have Democratic-leaning thoughts.

For more information, including to find the chapter nearest you (in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Fort Collins, Longmont, Canon City and Pagosa Springs) or to find out how to start your own chapter, go to:
http://drinkingliberally.org/

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In other news, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald announced today that she would be running for Congress in the Second Congressional District, which becomes an “open seat” with Congressman Mark Udall’s candidacy for Congress. Senator Fitz-Gerald also recently announced that she was stepping down from her position as the head of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which gave her a spot on the DNC (as well as a “super-delegate” status to the National Convention). We’ll miss her on the DNC.

It is likely that there will be a primary in the Second Congressional District. Environmental leader Will Shafroth and former State Board of Education Chair Jared Polis have both signaled that they may run. With such a great field of candidates, I’m only hopeful that we can keep this race positive and focused on what each candidate plans to do in Congress to make America and Colorado a better place.

Here’s a clip from Sen. Fitz-Gerald’s announcement:

Colorado State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald announced her candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District today. The district is currently represented by Congressman Mark Udall, who announced a bid for the United States Senate on Monday.

“I’m excited to announce my candidacy for Congress and bring Colorado’s record of change to Washington,” explained Fitz-Gerald. “Together, we have accomplished a lot and seen many positive changes here in Colorado, and now it’s time for us to help the nation solve tough problems like our country’s health care crisis and getting our troops out of Iraq.”

As the wife and daughter of military veterans, Fitz-Gerald supports the bi-partisan efforts in Congress to bring this war to a close. “I want to ensure our troops are fully trained and equipped and our veterans are receiving the health care and support that their sacrifice and courage demand,” she said. Fitz-Gerald supported resolutions in the Colorado Senate that opposed troop escalation and honored military veterans, and fallen soldiers.

If I get other announcements from Shafroth or Polis, I’ll be sure to forward those, too.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Counties. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.