(Cross-posted at MyDD)
WASHINGTON, DC—I’d like to congratulate the DNC on choosing Denver as the site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
I agree whole-heartedly with Chairman Dean that the West is important to the future of the Democratic Party. Democrats in the West in particular are showing that we are the party that will tackle tough problems. We’re changing the conversation in the states, and, more importantly, we’re rolling up our sleeves and searching for solutions to the problems that are keeping our citizens up at night. Here in Colorado, we rescued funding for higher education and solved a budget crisis. We have more work to do, and we look forward to it. I think Chairman Dean is wise to identify our success here as a key to the long-term health of our party.
As chair of the DLCC, I’m proud of our victories in state legislatures over the past two cycles. I was thrilled when, after winning narrow victories in "red" states like Colorado and North Carolina in 2004, not only did we hold our majorities this cycle, we gained seats. This is proof practical problem-solving matters more than political labels. Our focus on local issues is how Democrats have won at the state legislative level for the past four years, in good and bad national environments, and we look forward to continuing this record of success in 2008 to prepare Democrats for the post-2010 redistricting.
I also look forward to seeing how our state legislative gains of all four chambers in Iowa and New Hampshire will shape the debate in the presidential primary. Instead of debating Republicans' tired talking points, we could be asking presidential candidates about building infrastructure for sustainable energy, improving education by attracting and keeping the best teachers, and supporting rural America.
I look forward to welcoming Democrats from across the nation to our capital city to choose our presidential nominee, and I look forward to working with him or her to continue our record of victory at every level of government.
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