Large Turnout at Pre-Primary Convention of Bernalillo County Dems

State Party Chair Brian Colón revs the crowd

Note: I'll post some video clips and more photos later from Saturday's DPBC Convention. Here's my first installment.

As you may have noticed, Democrats are supercharged these days, turning out in droves at primaries, caucuses, campaign offices and party meetings all over the country. Bernalillo County Dems are no exception. The meeting room was packed at Saturday's DPBC Pre-Primary Convention at the Cibola High School Performing Arts Center on Albquerque's West Side.

Rep. Tom Udall urges Dems not to take anything for granted

With 646 delegates apportioned to the County, this was New Mexico's largest county party gathering among the confabs being held in counties around the state to elect delegates to the State Pre-Primary Convention. A total of 459 credentialed delegates (including the alternate replacements) were present at the DPBC Convention. Attendees filled the seats, lined the back of the room and formed delegate knots conferring in the hallways and at the tables of the candidates.

DPBC Parliamentarian Tim Keller, DPBC Chair Ana Canales

Unlike other counties where Dems elect their state delegates at their pre-primaries, Bernalillo County's elections of state delegates and alternates took place previously at ward/precinct meetings. The delegates to the State Convention were confirmed at the DPBC Pre-Primary. The State Convention is set for March 15, 2008 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

The DPBC Pre-Primary agenda also included discussing and passing resolutions to be forwarded to the state level, hearing from 2008 candidates and generally touching base to gear up for our June primary and the general election in November. Not to mention gossiping, hugging, sharing Repub jokes and downing all those little treats provided by campaigns.

Discussion and debate on more than 50 county party resolutions filled the first part of the meeting after a motion passed to move the Platform and Resolutions Committee report to the front of the agenda. County Platform and Resolutions Committee Chair Mel O'Reilly (right) led the delegates in a lively back and forth on timely issues like the death penalty, superdelegates, nuclear energy, the caucus process and the Iraq occupation. I should have a list of the resolutions passed sometime this week.

Rep. Tom Udall happened to sit down next to me during the resolutions debate and he said he was excited that so many Dems were passionately involved in the issues and showing up to join in the dialogue. He got thunderous applause and a standing ovation when he took the stage to speak to the delegates about turning New Mexico Blue in November 2008, when George Bush will NOT be on the ballot.

Rep. Udall, who's running to replace Pete Domenici as U.S. Senator, stressed that it's up to us if he's to be victorious in his Senate quest. He urged the crowd not to take anything for granted and reminded everyone that the Republicans will undoubtedly be dedicating significant funds and energy to keeping the seat in GOP hands. He said he's giving up a safe seat in Congress to seek the Senate seat at the urging of New Mexico's Democrats, and that we need to pull together and work hard to make victory a reality.

Martin Heinrich, NM-01 candidate

Delegates also heard short speeches from DPNM Chair Brian Colon, DPBC Chair Ana Canales, State Treasurer James B. Lewis, Secretary of State Mary Herrera and Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Candidates addressing the crowd and asking for support included all four primary contenders for Congress in CD1: Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Robert Pidcock. Others reaching out to the crowd included Tim Keller, running for State Senate in District 17; Eric Griego, a State Senate candidate in District 14; Jason Call, running for State Senate in District 20; District 11 State Senate candidate Michael Padilla and a group of District and Appeals Court judges.

Click on images for larger versions. All photos by M.E.Broderick.