Meet Mordecai…the official donkey mascot of the 2008 Democratic National Convention

Last night, a group of us from the DNCC made our way out to the National Western Stock Show for the Draft Horse and Mule show, which included the Democratic National Convention donkey mascot contest (more on that in a bit).

The evening started out with races that pitted mule lead teams vs. horse lead teams. Drivers on a mule or horse led slay would race to see which team could complete a series of obstacles. The first team to complete the tasks (loading and offloading bales of hay, navigating cones and barrels) then cross the fish line would win. Believe it or not, the donkeys beat the horses a few times!

The next exhibition was the horse drawn carriage show. These magnificent horses would pull the sleek and beautiful carriages around the ring. There were about 10 teams entered, and the parade of horses was absolutely beautiful.

Later that evening, ten children who had entered their donkeys in the Democratic National Convention mascot contest paraded their animals before the entire arena of thousands plus some VIP judges, including Sen. Ken Salazar, former Colorado Governor Roy Romer and DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry. Of the ten

donkeys entered in the contest, a donkey named Mordecai, lead by its 10-year-old handler Sophie Herzog, was declared the winner.

Below check out some news stories from the night’s events.

PoliticsWest

9News

CW2

Reuters

Western Culture Alive in Denver

The West has a unique culture that has been passed down through the generations. Even though farmlands have given way to sprawling suburbs and exurbs, the West is still a place where traditions hold strong.

This week, the National Western Stock Show returns to Denver. It is tradition that on the Tuesday before the show begins,
the residents of Denver are treated to a parade that begins with longhorns, followed by horses and carriages and lots and lots of pageantry. With Gov. Bill Ritter commanding a horse, the longhorns set out down 17th street.

Kept in check by a team of cowboys, the massive beasts were corralled in a small scale cattle drive — right through downtown Denver. I’ve never witnessed anything like this before, and this parade really taught me something about the West. Even though the city skyline may have changed over the years, talking with individuals along the parade route, there is still a cowboy culture that lives on.

When the 2008 Democratic National Convention begins in August, chances are there won’t be any longhorn parades, but throughout our
planning of the Convention, we have learned about the West and what makes it so unique and so colorful. The idea of having the Convention
in the West is to show that Democrats are committed to Western values. And events like the National Western Stock Show give the
Democratic National Convention Committee the opportunity to experience firsthand one of the oldest and most celebrated traditions in Colorado and the West.

Check out our photos from the National Western Stock Show parade.

We’ll have some video up from the parade soon, and we’ll have some more behind-the-scenes video from the DNCC. We’re looking forward to
participating in the National Western Stock Show and its first-ever donkey mascot contest for the Convention, so check back at the blog to see what we’re up to.

See all of our photos here:

Convention Conversations-Denver

In this video, from early September, the first community forum of the 10-part “Convention Conversations” series, DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper talk with business leaders and others from the local community about opportunities around the 2008 Democratic National Convention.