Denver Ground Stop: Even High-Flying Democrats Found Themselves Grounded in Mile-High City

Stranded in Denver

The nationwide ground stop halted flights on Friday and left several governors and the former transportation secretary among those stranded in a Denver hotel bar. The gathering included politicians and aides who were trying to learn what was happening and when they could travel home.

Pete Buttigieg watched a CNN broadcast of the Trump administration’s news conference at the hotel. He appeared unable to make sense of the performance by his successor, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Searching for updates

Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia checked Senate group chats for updates from secure channels and from Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. People accustomed to having inside information suddenly had little to go on.

The politicians in the bar expressed frustration with the federal government’s lack of information and their inability to get home. The downtown venue brought together people trying to follow events while stranded far from their usual routines.

Illinois aides manage calls

Several staff members for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who was not in Denver, took over a long table. His chief of staff, Anne Caprara, used two phones to handle rumors, emergencies back home and calls from the governor. Caprara said Pritzker was furious about the lack of information from the Trump administration. She called the bar “Denver’s hottest bar, the Mos Eisley Cantina of politics,” and compared its atmosphere to characters from “Veep” and “Terminator 2.”