The Larimer County Democrats hosted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse as event speakers for their annual fundraising dinner April 19 in the Lory Student Center.

“It’s our biggest gathering of Democrats in the year; in person, we had close to 400 people here tonight,” Larimer County Democrats Chair Tim Kubik said. “It’s really the event that helps us kick off the cycle for 2026.”

The fundraiser is held annually to raise money for Democratic campaigns in Larimer County. “We grossed over $50,000,” Kubik said. “Two years ago, we spent $25,000 supporting candidates, so we hope that we’re in a position, as a result of this dinner, to spend about the same amount of money.”

The event is also an opportunity for attendees to meet Democratic candidates and officials and for those candidates to get the word out about their campaigns.

“At this level, you need the party support,” former Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh said.

Marsh, who is now running to represent House District 51 in the Colorado House of Representatives, said this was her first time attending such an event.

“It’s getting the message out that I’m running (and) getting support, both dollars, obviously, but also, like, meet and greets,” Marsh said. 

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the event served another key function: bringing hope.

“It’s a signal that hope is not lost,” District 10 Representative Junie Joseph said. “When you look at what’s going on at the federal level, … people in our community are discouraged, right, and because they’re discouraged, they’re more likely to sit on their couch and not go out and vote. But meetings like this, events like this, say that Democrats are still organized. We’re still fighting.”

After opening remarks from Kubik and Neguse, Governor Pritzker discussed resisting President Donald Trump’s administration and the importance of kindness in government.

“We need to shake off the primal urge to blame all of our nation’s problems on our most vulnerable people,” Pritzker said. “It’s not weak to be kind; in fact, being kind can sometimes be the very hardest thing you can do.”

Colorado’s competitive political landscape raised questions about what the strategy will be for Democrats going into the midterms, both for Colorado and for similar competitive landscapes.

“I think our strategy is going to be, one, articulating to the people of Colorado … the need to do more to help working people in our country be able to achieve their dreams,” Neguse said. “Making the case that the destructive policies that Donald Trump has implemented, the cruel and callousness way in which I think he’s approached his work in the administration, has not inured to the benefit of my constituents.”

In Larimer County, Kubik said the strategy was to focus on congressional districts 4 and 8.

“A big part of our strategy is going to be to work with people in (Colorado District) 2, who feel very much safe, … to get working in CD 4 and in CD 8,” Kubik said.

Pritzker said he believed the party should focus on supporting Democratic candidates in all races, rather than just the most competitive.

“What I’m most disappointed about (in) the building of the Democratic Party and where we are, is we should have been doing a 50-state strategy from day one,” Pritzker said. “Instead, what we did was focus on battleground states. … In the off years, we need to be creating scaffolding and infrastructure, because when the on years — when the presidential years come — that’s how you win. If you’re not doing anything until months before the general election in 2028 or ’24 or ’20, there’s no way to win states.”

Perceptions of the event were overwhelmingly positive, though some attendees felt there were questions left unanswered.

“Obviously, I mean, it’s a fundraiser so it’s about raising funds,” said Tonya Morrow, an attendee. “I’m looking for some meaty information about how me, as myself, and other people, as just general Americans that are really pissed off and angry and upset, what can we do as individuals … if we don’t have money?”

Additionally, Morrow had concerns about the demographics of both the event and the party at large.

“We need more younger people; this party is aging,” Morrow said. “I have taken part in many, many protests and No Kings rallies and all of that. And we’re a bunch of old guys. … I’m disappointed there aren’t more young people, especially in a university city, in a university facility.”

Kubik shared the same concern, saying that people typically become politically active in and after their late 40s, as this is when they don’t have to focus as much on building a career and raising kids. Kubik also said he tries to listen to the needs of younger voters to help get them involved.

“I’ve been an educator my whole life, right, so part of my strategy is making sure that when young people show up, I take them seriously, I listen to their ideas (and) I change things,” Kubik said. “If they come and they want to be involved, I want to hear what they have to say and empower them.”

Pritzker made similar remarks on including younger people and highlighted restoring people’s faith in government.

“We have a pin that everybody wears in Illinois, Democrats anyway, that says ‘Democrats deliver’ because our job is to actually provide health care, to actually raise the minimum wage, to actually do the things that are helping people in their daily lives,” Pritzker said. “I think that’s the only way that we’re going to prove to young people in college and people who’ve lost faith in government that it really does work.”

Reach Maxine Bilodeau at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.