Bernie blasts Nome Democratic Caucus
Democrats and wanna-be Democrats packed the Polar Cub restaurant Saturday to participate in the Democratic caucus.
District 39 Democrats with headquarters in Nome and branches in Koyuk and Unalakleet participating by phone.
To participate one had to be a registered Democrat and live in District 39. If one wanted to change party affiliation it could be done on the scene. One had to be a US citizen, 18 or older and not have participated in any other party caucus in 2016.
The Polar Cub was packed with happy, congenial, Democrats who were glad take part in the Caucus. For many it was the first time they had participated in a caucus.
Lew Tobin conducted the procedure and sorted the Hillary from the Bernie supporters. It was a countdown as the 49 Bernie backers (including those in Unalakleet and Koyuk) selected 14 delegates to attend the State Democratic Convention in Anchorage in May. The Hillary backers selected four delegates to represent their candidate at the State Convention. The Bernie Sanders backers had 74 percent of the participants and the Hillary Clinton backers had 26 percent of the caucus attendees.
Statewide, the Alaska Democratic Party reported that Bernie Sanders received received 8,447 votes or 81 percent and was awarded 440 state convention delegates. Hillary Clinton received 21 percent or 99 delegates.
Almost 11,000 Alaskans cast their votes at Democratic caucuses held at 42 locations across the state. The party reported a record turnout, which was 119 percent of the turnout in 2008. In Anchorage, more than 1,000 participants changed their party affiliation and joined the Alaska Democratic Party.
