Clinton caucusgoers find some hopeful signs

KIRKLAND, Wash. — The civility of the Democratic caucuses came as a pleasant surprise to Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, an activist and longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton.
 
"In my personal caucus," said Rowe-Finkbeiner, "Hillary won 21 to 8."
 
She and other Clinton supporters stood outside the Kirkland Middle School where an estimated 500 people caucused. Rowe-Finkbeiner admits she was worried.
 
"So I was expecting to maybe walk in and have to really rumble," she said. "But I didn't have to. There were tons of supporters in the first straw poll.  It was great.  I did a little happy dance. The first straw poll, she was way ahead."
 
Two sisters caucused for Clinton, too, bucking the trend of millennials supporting Sanders.
 
"I think anyone who says this is the time to elect Bernie Sanders over having a feminist president is misinformed," said 20-year-old Maddy Flemming. "And I think that's sad."
 
"A lot of my friends say that they're pro-Bernie, they go to 'Bernie' rallies," said Molly Flemming. "But I haven't seen them at the caucus. So I think there's a lot of young support for Bernie but they don't actually go out and vote."
 
That cannot be said of Gerick Lee, a first time caucusgoer, as he told the group, "(Clinton's) philosophy on foreign affairs hasn't been great."
 
He flew home from New York to vote for Sanders.
 
"They're both great," Lee said. "But I think Bernie better represents the values that I think this state has stood for, for over a century, really."
 
Nevertheless, he and other Bernie supporters said despite their spirited debate, they will fall in line behind whomever the Democrats choose come November.

Cox Media Group