Andrew Romanoff claimed to have won a grassroots victory Saturday as he led John Hickenlooper, his better-funded and better-staffed rival for the U.S. Senate, in statewide caucuses of Colorado Democrats.

Romanoff, a progressive favorite, won more delegates than Hickenlooper in the state’s largest counties, including Denver. In Arapahoe County, home to Aurora, Romanoff won 56% of delegates, according to Colorado Democratic Party figures. On the other side of Denver, in Jefferson County, he won 62%. Large portions of the state had yet to report results Saturday evening.

“Our grassroots campaign just crushed the D.C. machine and won today’s caucuses!” Romanoff told supporters around 7:30 p.m. “The power brokers and party bosses in Washington didn’t get the memo, but it turns out a lot of people in Colorado want to replace Cory Gardner with a progressive champion.”

Gayle Rodgers, 74, caucused for Romanoff in south Denver because of his environmental ideas. Romanoff is a supporter of the Green New Deal and, like most candidates, has made combating climate change a top issue.

“Hickenlooper is married to oil and gas,” Rodgers said.

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