Lofty cheers when Obama wins

That Republicans took early leads in several local races didn't seem to dampen many spirits at the Democratic Party's election night gathering.

Tuesday was all about Barack Obama.

The party faithful and campaign volunteers gathered at The Loft in downtown Whitefish met the news of Obama's presidential victory with raucous cheers and raised fists. A general climate of euphoria pervaded the venue, packed with supporters of the new president.

Expectations for the incoming administration were nearly palpable.

"More people than ever have been involved in local politics and the Obama campaign as well," said Flathead Democratic Party chairwoman Joan Vetter Ehrenberg. "We've never had such a high level of infrastructure to organize our campaigns and volunteers, starting from the top down."

The Obama campaign staffed 20 campaign field offices throughout Montana.

"Yeah, it's a big night," said Vetter Ehrenberg.

Giddiness persisted despite the fact that Republicans took early leads in many of the local races. Four Democratic candidates were on hand at the Tuesday night gathering, and by 11 p.m., three of them were losing.

Jim Dupont in the race for Flathead County commissioner and Ryan Zinke in Senate District 2 jumped to commanding early leads.

Republican Dee Brown established a solid lead over Democrat Mick Holm in the race for House District 3 from early on into the count.

"I don't take anything for granted," Holm said Tuesday evening as 200 people still stood outside the Flathead County Courthouse to vote. "It's so great to see people energized about an election that they're willing to stand in line like that to exercise their right to vote."

Even as he adopted a wait-and-see attitude about his own race, Holm showed appreciation with the progress Democrats were making on the national stage.

"I like what we're seeing in the senatorial races," he said. "Let's keep moving that forward."

Initial results indicated that Democrat Mike Jopek would be re-elected to House District 4.

"I think we'll see how it plays out, but it feels really good," Jopek said. "Look at the room. I mean these are a lot of people. It seems like people are excited about it."

Democrats also held a gathering for candidates and supporters at Red's Wines and Blues in Kalispell.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden may be reached at 748-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com