Apparently unswayed by the overwhelming majority of the rank-and-file members of the Democratic party that did not offer their support the Mike Miles campaign will go on. Here is the email that was sent out earlier today.

Subject: Standing Tall - Part 2

Dear friend,

You showed courage voting for me last Tuesday. Thank you. In many cases my supporters were in the minority at their precinct caucus, so it took even more courage to stand up for democracy and to make a difference in the direction of our Party and country.

I will try to match your courage and faith. Your numerous recent e-mails remind me that this is a fight that needs fighting and that too many people are counting on us to do what many Democratic leaders are afraid to do -- fight for Democratic principles.

Our team will get on the ballot, force the debate, and let the people decide.

Running for the U.S. Senate is not a game, but a football metaphor might paint the appropriate picture. It‚s fourth quarter, we‚re down by 10 points, and there‚s only three minutes left to play. We have the ball and have to score on this drive. Yes, it looks tough, but true fans of democracy know that there is still a lot of ball to play.

Caucus results

At last count, on caucus night our team received almost 30% of the committed votes (I know, Chris Gates reported to the papers that I had only 9% of the total vote count -- (don't look for an apology or correction). 22% were uncommitted. That means we would probably get more than the 30% needed at the State Assembly to force a primary. In some counties, like El Paso County, we beat Salazar's team 67% to 33%.

Keep in mind that 44% of all caucus goers did not jump on the Salazar bandwagon. After six weeks of media hype and a full-court press by the Party insiders, who stated that the Party was unanimously behind Salazar, one has to wonder why one out of every two Democrats didn‚t sign up when they had their first real opportunity. That is hardly a sign of unanimity or an ability to capture the base. 

Electability

My team and I cannot and do not so easily dismiss the question of electability. Name recognition and money are important, and whoever wins the primary will have both. But, truth is, neither I nor Ken Salazar will have better name recognition or more money than Peter Coors. 

First we have to energize our base, and then we have to appeal to the unaffiliated and moderate voters. Maybe they are not so shallow as to vote for a person only because they see a whole bunch of cool TV ads. Maybe we actually have to persuade them that we know the issues better and have better ideas on how to solve the problems of the day. 

Finally, "getting a Democrat to the Senate," is simply the wrong argument to make. How about: getting a Democrat who will stand by Democratic principles and help chart the right course? 

Walking the talk

This race always was about fighting to get our country back and, to some degree, getting our Party back. It is still a fight that needs fighting. When you choose a fight that needs fighting, you have to be prepared to stand fast when all but hope has left. I fear for our democracy and for our country. I see her under siege on the field before us. Shall we not come to her aid despite the odds? We shall.