Montrose Democrats welcome U.S. Senate candidates to Montrose for a chance to see who might challenge Cory Gardner

The Montrose County Democrats have planned a forum for the eight remaining candidates who hope to challenge U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in the 2020 election.

Kevin Kuns, chair for the Montrose County Democrats, expects former Gov. John Hickenlooper, former State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, Rose Spaulding, Michelle Ferrigno Warren, Colorado Sen. Angela Williams, Trish Zornio, Diana Bray and Lorena Garcia to be on hand at Centennial Middle School Sunday to answer questions and state their case for the Democratic bid.

Other leading candidates, like Alice Madden and Mike Johnston, dropped out of the race after Hickenlooper joined.

The events of the day Sunday will begin with an “Outreach Action Workshop” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will include training on voter registration, messaging and more.

The candidate forum is expected to begin at 2 p.m. and last until 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public with pre-registration. Those who wish to attend can register online at montrosedemocrats.com.

There will be a lunch to go along with the workshop for a suggested $5 donation.

“With only seven months left on the primary, having these exceptional candidates here in Montrose is a great opportunity for anyone in Montrose to see a different perspective on the concerns for the United States and Colorado that may be different than Cory Gardner’s,” Kuns said.

Organization of the forum can be credited to the Montrose County Democrats, as well as those in Pitkin, Mesa, Ouray, San Miguel and Delta counties.

Kuns expects there will be people attending the forum from each of those counties.

Morgan Carroll, the Colorado Democratic Party chair, will also be in attendance and will serve as the moderator for the forum.

All or any school board candidates have also been invited to attend the forum, regardless of party affiliation, to be introduced to the crowd.

“They might even give them a couple minutes (to introduce themselves),” Kuns said.

Centennial Middle School is located at 1100 S. Fifth St. in Montrose.