Eagle County Dems Pair Midterm Bus Tour With Dog Costume Contest

Aspen —“Why not combine an opportunity to meet candidates with something fun for the whole family?”

Lisa Lewis, chair of the Eagle County Democrats, asks this with a grin that suggests she knows exactly how absurd it sounds. It is Friday afternoon in Edwards, and the Colorado Democratic Party’s “Our Future. Our Colorado” bus tour is idling in the parking lot, engines humming before it heads to Glenwood Springs. Inside the bus sit the heavy hitters of the Nov. 3 midterm race: U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and a roster of other statewide nominees including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib, an Edwards resident himself.

But the real draw isn’t the politicians. It’s the dogs.

The local Democratic chapter is hosting a canine costume contest alongside the candidate meet-and-greet. Residents have been encouraged to bring their four-legged friends dressed in Halloween finest, vying for the title of Best Doggie Costume and a prize. Lewis says she knows people love their dogs here in Eagle County, so why not merge the two? Whether you come for the candidates or the costumed pups, she hopes you’ll join us.

The logistics are precise. Costumed dogs arrive at 1:15 p.m., with the exact location provided upon registration. The bus, arriving from a stop in Frisco, Summit County, pulls up at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, though attendees are asked to register on the Eagle Dems website. It is a calculated move by a party looking to keep its presence visible in a town that leans heavily on tourism and outdoor recreation.

Across the political aisle, the Republican Party is planning its own series of events for the following week. Dan King, the GOP chair, outlined a busy schedule in an email: a “honk and wave” from noon to 2 p.m. at the Edwards traffic circle on Oct. 24, and an “Honor a Military Member” event at the Vail Golf Club on Oct. 22. He noted they are planning something else for Oct. 20, but no final details were set yet.

While the parties juggle their calendars, Eagle County Clerk and Recorder Becky Close is working on a different kind of turnout. On the ballot herself as an unopposed Independent, Close is urging voters who haven’t received their mail-in ballots to check GoVoteColorado.gov. Ballots went out on Oct. 7, and with the election just weeks away, she’s pointing folks to the Eagle County Elections Division website or 970-328-8715 for voting centers and drop-box locations.

The political theater of the bus tour is one thing; the act of actually casting a vote is another. On Saturday, Vail Eagle Indivisible hosts a nonpartisan ballot event called “No Kings: Vote Early – Eagle County” starting at the Edwards Early Learning Center on Miller Ranch Rd. It is a stark contrast to the costumed dogs and the honking cars, a reminder that beneath the spectacle, there is still work to do.

The bus will eventually leave Edwards, its tires kicking up dust as it heads toward the next stop. The dogs will go home to their owners, likely still wearing their Halloween gear. And the ballots, once mailed or dropped off, will go to count. The spectacle fades quickly; the results don’t.