Jared Polis for Congress

No, this wasn’t an outlandish attempt by Colorado to jump ahead of New Hampshire by holding its presidential primary in October. And the votes cast weren’t even of the paper, electronic or even hanging-chad varieties. Instead, these votes came in the form of winter coats and canned goods, as part of the Democrats Work “Coats and Cans” Primary.

This first-of-its-kind straw poll was held in Colorado’s Second Congressional District, where three Democratic candidates are locked in a highly competitive primary fight to replace Mark Udall. The rules for our primary are simple: each can counts for one vote; each coat counts for five votes. How eager were Joan Fitz-Gerald, Jared Polis, and Will Shafroth and their supporters to cast their can and coat votes?

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