People all over the country are gathering in reaction to the news that Joe Biden is now the president-elect. This afternoon in Denver, Biden supporters got together in Cheeseman Park to celebrate.
Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzalez (D) was one of them. She described the moment she heard the news; she and her husband had just finished breakfast.
“The radio announced the results and I ran into the next room screaming, ‘Ben, oh my god, they just called Pennsylvania,’” Gonzalez said. “It was just a joyful moment. We actually both started crying. It was so emotional.”
Kevin Abels, the Denver chapter president of Unite Here Local 23, the hospitality workers union, was also there helping organize the event. He is critical of how Trump has handled the pandemic; many of the union’s members have lost their jobs.
“We saw how President Trump’s failures and divisiveness just grew as the COVID crisis spiraled out of control. So we’re here today to celebrate closing that chapter and getting ready for the fights ahead,” Abels said.
Meanwhile, a small group of Trump supporters gathered in front of the Colorado state Capitol building, some with signs questioning the integrity of the election. A line of police officers separated this group from others who were there celebrating Biden’s win.
Barb Brown from Evans, wearing a pink Trump hat and waving a large American flag, explained that she was worried about the integrity of the voting process.
“Let’s validate the vote. I don’t care — I mean, I do care obviously which way it goes,” explained Barb Brown, who is from Evans. “But for me, for the integrity of our country, we need to validate this. The world is watching us.”
Lisa Jenkins, who is from Englewood, came to Denver with similar concerns. She did not vote for Trump four years ago but did this time around.
“Just seeing what an amazing president he’s been, even (with) all the trials he’s been put through these four years and everything he’s done with unemployment,” Jenkins said. “Our economy was just thriving pre-COVID.”
Since Tuesday, President Trump has repeatedly made claims about election fraud without providing substantial evidence to back up those claims.
Biden won Colorado’s nine electoral votes, and the state easily broke voter turnout records that were set during the last presidential election in 2016.
