Bernie blowout: Sanders wins Juneau as turnout tops 2008

Even before the first vote was cast Saturday, the outcome seemed obvious. The only question was the margin.

When Ken Burch rose to give a prepared statement by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, he was greeted by a storm of applause and cheers.

When Catherine Reardon did the same a few minutes later for Hillary Clinton, the response was polite, but quieter.

When the votes were tallied, Bernie Sanders had defeated Hillary Clinton among Juneau voters, 860 to 235.

In House District 33, which also includes Gustavus, Haines and Skagway, Sanders topped Clinton 837 to 176. In District 34, which covers the Mendenhall Valley, Sanders beat Clinton 307 to 88.

As went Juneau, so went the rest of Alaska, where Sanders nearly drove Clinton below the 15 percent threshold that would have deemed a candidate “non-viable” in a national election.

The margins were similar to the ones eight years ago, when Clinton faced off against a young U.S. Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. In 2008, Alaskans favored Obama by a three-to-one margin, and 1,300 Juneauites packed Centennial Hall.

This time around, 1,097 people cast a Democratic presidential preference vote in the Sheffield Ballroom, and the margin was almost four-to-one against Clinton. When the Haines, Skagway and Gustavus participants were counted, just over 1,400 people participated.

Nancy Courtney, chairwoman of the Tongass Democrats, had been expecting 70 percent of 2008 turnout in House Districts 33 and 34. Instead, she got much more.

“As far as turnout, we had a great turnout,” Courtney said. “Much higher than we had anticipated; higher than 2008.”

Rep. Sam Kito III, D-Juneau, served as chairman of the caucus, and said his first sign of abnormal turnout was when he walked into Centennial Hall at 9 a.m. and had to pass a line of people that stretched into the parking lot. That line was still present just before the 10 a.m. cutoff.

“This is great,” he said. “More than I expected.”

Courtney said she thinks the Democratic candidates are touching people in a way that encourages them to get out, and as far as the winner is concerned, “I think Bernie offers a lot of different aspects in a candidate that touch a lot of people everywhere and anywhere, from those who are the entrenched Democrats to those who are brand new to the system.”

Unlike the March 1 Republican Presidential Preference Poll, a quiet affair where voters filled out ballots and dropped them into a box, Saturday’s Democratic event was a caucus. That meant voters had to physically show their support by standing in a group on a divided ballroom floor to be counted and show their support. Many carried signs, wore buttons or simply spoke to other voters to convince them in a certain direction.

Larry Arden Woodall was among the Juneauites who lined up in Centennial Hall to be counted for Sanders. Wearing a ballcap that said “Make America Gay Again,” he carried a homemade cardboard sign.

He said he was encouraging people to vote for Sanders because he’s a better opponent for Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup.

“Here’s the poll that says he can beat Trump better than Hillary can,” he said, pointing to his sign.

While Hillary and Sanders supporters were divided in their picks, they did so politely, with no boos or catcalls.

Before the vote, Kathleen Jorgensen, wearing red and holding a Hillary Clinton sign, embraced Marguerite Crawford, who wore a Bernie Sanders button.

“We’re friends no matter what,” Crawford said of Jorgensen.

Jorgensen then tapped Crawford’s button and added, “and this does not say Donald Trump.”

Most of the Juneauites who walked into Centennial Hall on Saturday had already made up their minds. When voters separated themselves into different sides of the ballroom to be counted, Tracy Morrison was one of only two people to stand off to the side as an uncommitted voter.

“I’m surprised that there aren’t more over here,” she said.

Eight years ago, Morrison was at Begich Middle School in Anchorage, where almost 5,000 people cast votes in a chaotic scene. She said Saturday’s Centennial Hall vote was busy, but not a madhouse.

While voters had to get in line by 10 a.m., the time needed to process the line meant the caucus process didn’t begin until about 10:40 a.m. Once it did begin, it moved swiftly; the counting was over in less than 50 minutes.

After the results were finalized, the meeting elected delegates to the state Democratic Convention in May. Those delegates are assigned proportionally, following the results of the overall vote.

At the state convention, delegates will be elected to the national convention, which takes place in late July. Alaska has 16 national delegates whose votes will be pledged to the results of Saturday’s vote.

Off to the side of the ballroom, Rachel Disney played with her daughter, 3-year-old Xenali. It was the first caucus for both of them.

“I’ll tell you what,” Rachel said. “I really hope this makes a difference.”