A Legacy to Protect. A Future to Build.
Reflections from the 2026 Fund the Fight Dinner
For those in attendance, the 2026 Fund the Fight Dinner felt less like a political dinner and more like a master class in perseverance. As stories unfolded from the stage, you could have heard a pin drop. Speakers reflected on where Larimer County Democrats have been, how far we’ve come, and why the work ahead matters more than ever.
It wasn’t long ago that Larimer County was part of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a Republican stronghold where Democratic victories were considered longshots. Former Congresswoman Betsy Markey recalled those early years, when simply fielding Democratic candidates was a challenge and winning seemed nearly impossible.
Anne Caprara, Markey’s former Chief of Staff and now Chief of Staff to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, shared a powerful story about courage in the face of political pressure. She recounted the heated fight over the Affordable Care Act and the moment Betsy chose principle over political survival, knowing the vote could cost her reelection. That lesson in leadership, Anne explained, shaped the course of her career.
Together, these stories reminded us that Larimer County did not become blue by accident. It became blue because ordinary people volunteered, organized, showed up, and refused to give up. Progress was built through courage, kindness, resilience, and an unwavering belief that change was possible.
In his keynote, Governor JB Pritzker coined the phrase “Be Like Larimer.” He echoed the theme that democracy depends on people willing to stay engaged, stand up for their values, and keep moving forward even when the path is difficult.
The journey from red to purple to blue is one of the defining stories of modern Larimer County politics. But as the speakers reminded us throughout the evening, it is not the final chapter. There are still stories to be written, communities to serve, and battles that need to be won.
Twenty years ago, Larimer County Democrats didn’t give up on their neighbors or their future. We won’t give up now.
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Video Gallery
Road to Blue
Introducing Anne Caprara
Tim Kubick, Chair of the Larimer County Democrats & Congresswoman Betsy Markey
The Longshot Years
How Courage, Kindness & Resilience Changed a County
Anne Caprara, Former Chief of Staff for Betsy Markey & Current Chief of Staff for Governor JB Pritzker
Words of Wisdom
“Over the past two decades, the people in this room have turned Larimer from red to purple to blue. So, my new slogan for national Democrats is ‘Be Like Larimer.’”
“I tell every candidate I ever talk to anymore that you need to be yourself when you run for office because if you win, you won't want to be any different. And if you lose, you're going to be glad you didn't compromise anything for the loss.”
“Betsy and Jim welcomed me into their home and their family. During the 14 months of that first congressional race, they along with this wonderful Fort Collins community, taught this curmudgeonly Philadelphian how to prioritize kindness in your politics and in your life. And when Betsy was elected in 2008, walking into Congress, representing a district that leaned Republican by almost six percentage points, she taught me how to be brave.”
“We must be a party that protects everyday people and helps working families afford the everyday costs of their lives. But we also need to be a party that thinks bigger than just survival of all the things that we have lost in the Trump era, all of them. We Democrats need to restore in America joy and kindness in our lives and civility in our public square.”
“People like me don't often speak at dinners like this. But maybe it's worth hearing us out occasionally because somewhere in the last few years, we have lost our connection to the humanity of our elected representatives. Staffers like me, we see the worst of our politics, but we also see the best. And I will tell you, the despair that the worst instills is no match for the hope that the best inspires.”
"The slow march of authoritarianism is a hard yoke to bear, but we are starting to shake it off in this country. Democrats are getting elected in states that haven't voted blue in a generation. We put a Democrat in the governor's mansions in Virginia and New Jersey. We elected another one to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. And in special elections all across this nation, new young and progressive candidates are stunning Republicans in their own strongholds."
“In 2001, I was elected county party chair. I wasn't at the executive committee meeting. I got a call later that night from my friend Linda who said, ‘Hey Betsy, we just elected you county party chair.’ I mean, that's how 'big' the county party was. And I said, ‘Sure, I'll do it, but let's make sure that we find Democrats to run for every single seat in the county, including US Congress.’"
“I won't lie to you. The politics of a great democracy will grind you down. It will challenge your faith in your country and your fellow human. It will belittle your most dearly held beliefs. And in the end, it will leave you with a stark choice. Bow under its unending pressure and give up. Or allow the scars where the broken parts have healed to become the armor you wear into your next battle.”
"We need to think about these midterms not as the finish line, but just the first water station on a long and punishing marathon. To win, we must campaign for a vision working families need that isn't just about survival. We need to campaign about raising wages. We need to campaign about lowering gas prices. We must bring home ownership within reach for people. We need to ensure that food is affordable and education attainable. We need to put a stop to health insurance companies operating more like organized crime and less like guardians of wellness. And we need to remind Silicon Valley that technology is meant to serve humanity, not destroy it."
“I had no way of knowing 16 years ago just how many times during my career I would face a decision or be asked to advise on one that pitted what was politically expedient against what was morally right. I wanted to stand here tonight on the eve of Betsy's 70th birthday. In front of her family and friends to say that anytime I've gotten it right was because I had Betsy's model of courage to guide me.”
“I used to think that everything that Donald Trump said and everything that he did was in service of his own ego. I was wrong. I now realize that everything he says and does is in service to his own bank account. So, I guess it's kind of inspiring that Donald Trump's second term is frankly the most profitable business he's been in. The problem is that while Trump is lining his own pockets, he is stealing money right out of your pockets.”
“Betsy should have served 10 years in Congress. She is exactly the type of person Americans say they want to elect. Kind and brave and honest. The forces that defeated her in 2010 were the canaries in the coal mine of what we face in 2026.”
“This problem didn't start with Donald Trump. He just made a career out of it. Trump knows that the more unhappy he keeps the country, the more divided we remain and the more likely he can control us. Dictatorships thrive on depression and cruelty grows in gardens of despair. We need to make kindness a virtue again. We need to extol the value of empathy. We need to lionize compassion. We need to make it shameful for the tech bros and cabinet secretaries and presidents to hurl schoolyard insults at the people they disagree with. We need to say out loud that sometimes it's okay to help people just because they need help. We need to shake off the primal urge to blame all of our nation's problems on our most vulnerable people.”