State convention shows rift between Obama, Clinton supporters

State Democrats may have coalesced around Senate nominee Mark Udall Saturday, but big rifts remained between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters.

Clinton national campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe was booed and shouts of "O-ba-ma" overtook his speech to the state Democratic convention at the World Arena. Several Clinton supporters tried to turn the "Yes, we can!" chants during an Obama speech into "Yes, she can!"

Udall, who has not backed either presidential candidate, said he is confident that the party can unify. Both McAuliffe and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano echoed similar themes in their talks to the convention.

But as the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination drags well into its fourth month, signs of strain showed along with good-natured competition showed.

While Clinton backers campaigned to be national-convention delegates outside the arena, Obama supporter Janet Heller of Arapahoe County yelled: "Oh, come on, smell the coffee!"

McAuliffe took his booing when he said during his speech that Clinton had won more than 1 million more delegates than Obama. Obama supporters screamed that he was counting disqualified votes from Michigan and Florida, and McAuliffe gaveled the podium twice to get order during the speech.

Former state Rep. Fran Coleman, a Clinton supporter, said afterward that the episode was disappointing and blamed it on the many political newcomers backing Obama.

"They treat it like a sports event," the Denver Democrat said.

"There's a real disrespect there."

Obama supporter Paul Imse of Golden wrote the incident off, however, to one statement that seemed designed to elicit reaction rather to than a chasm between the two sides. Jefferson County party leaders sat supporters of the two candidates together in an effort to forge unity, and the experiment seemed to work, he said.

KEY ELECTION DATES

Here are some key dates leading up to the Nov. 4 general election:

May 30: 5th Congressional District Assembly.

May 31: Colorado State Republican Assembly in Broomfield.

July 14: Last day to register to vote or change party affiliation for the August primary election.

Aug. 4: Early voting for the primary election begins.

Aug. 4: Last day to submit petition signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State for some ballot initiatives.

Aug. 5: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot to be mailed to you.

Aug. 8: Last day to apply in person for a mail-in ballot; early voting ends.

Aug. 12: Primary election.

Aug. 25-28: Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Sept. 1-4: Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in the general election.

Oct. 20: Early voting begins.

Oct. 28: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot to be mailed to you.

Oct. 31: Last day to apply in person for a mail-in ballot; early voting ends.

Nov. 4: General election.