Democratic excitement catches on in red state

Ground game people, it's all about the ground game.

The buzz created by the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Monday in Denver, has filtered into Republican-heavy Kansas.

And some say it’s even a bit closer to home.

Burdett Loomis, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said there’s more interest locally in this year’s election than in years past.

“The energy is way on the Democratic side this time,” he said.

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“The turnout for the caucuses was about 30 times the historic average,” he said of the more than 37,000 Kansans who participated in caucuses, according to figures from the Kansas Democratic Party. “We planned for a turnout many times over the historic performance, and it was many times greater than that. “That certainly kick-started the year.”

Harry Mullins, a steering committee member of the Olathe Area Democrats, said the excitement was evident from caucus participants who stood outside for hours in freezing rain just to be a part of the political process.

“And those folks have continued to become involved,” he said of the increased number of registered Democrats in Johnson County.