As buildup to the Republican National Convention began this week in St. Paul, Minn., islander Thomas Ahearne was continuing to wind down from his own whirlwind convention experience.

Ahearne spent an exhausting but thrilling string of days as a pledged Hillary Clinton delegate at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver. He dined with the state’s political leaders, heard a parade of speeches and cast his vote in a historic nomination.

“It was probably the most exciting week of my life,” said Ahearne.

Ahearne said he hadn’t taken an active role in any political party before this current presidential campaign season. But he said Clinton’s mix of character and experience motivated him to turn out to his local precinct caucus in February to support her candidacy.

Ahearne, an attorney, hadn’t plan any grandstanding at the caucus, but said he couldn’t help but jump in on the debate over candidates.

“When people started to talk, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, and I got elected to the county convention,” Ahearne said.

The same scenario played out at the county caucus, where fellow delegates found Ahearne persuasive enough to send on to the congressional district level caucus in May. There Ahearne and 50 other pledged delegates from Washington were chosen for the national convention in Denver.

Ahearne’s days at the convention, which ran from Monday through Thursday of last week, began with early-morning breakfasts with the Washington delegation. He dined alongside Gov. Christine Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and the state’s congressional members – including fellow islander, Rep. Jay Inslee. Ahearne found all the politicians candid and approachable.

“If you have a delegate badge they treat you like you’re one of them,” Ahearne said.

After caucus meetings in the morning, convention business got under way in the afternoons.

For four frenzied days, Ahearne’s ID badge whizzed him past the crush of security lines and onto the floor at the Pepsi Center, where he rubbed shoulders with more than 4,400 delegates from around the country.

Below the shifting colorful video displays, the crowd on the convention floor was raucous. Ahearne said events may have appeared controlled and well-scripted on television, but there was constant confusion among delegates.

“It was noisy, it was wild,” he said. “On the floor it was pure chaos.”

Early in the convention, Barack Obama backers harangued Clinton supporters to break allegiance. Most, but not all of the prodding was good natured, Ahearne said.

“Some Obama people were indignant that people could possibly not be supporting him,” he said.

While cameras focused on the big-name, primetime speeches, there was a steady stream of lesser-known rising stars in the party appearing throughout each day. Ahearne said the orations were separated by frequent music breaks to keep younger delegates entertained.

The convention ran well into the evening each day. But Ahearne had a brief to draft for the state Supreme Court for an upcoming hearing, which he worked on in his hotel room past midnight.

After catching a few hours of sleep it was back to breakfast with the Washington delegation.

Hillary Clinton’s speech on Aug. 26 was a highlight for Ahearne. He said he thought Clinton did all she could to support Obama in her speech, but did not dispel Ahearne’s conviction that she was the better candidate.

“Her speech did not sway me one way or the other,” he said.

On Aug. 27, the day of the nominating vote, Clinton spoke to a gathering of her supporters urging them to join behind Obama. But 26 pledged Washington delegates, including Ahearne, cast their votes for her while 68 sided with Obama and three abstained.

Votes were gathered by the delegation’s chair and entered into a laptop. The dramatic televised roll call vote that came later was purely “spectacle,” Ahearne said.

Though it was a foregone conclusion that Obama would carry the day, Ahearne said Clinton delegates still made a statement.

That evening, following speeches by former President Bill Clinton and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, Ahearne and a few other delegates stayed late at the center to clean up Washington’s gathering area. After finishing, they got lost in the backstage tunnel system while looking for an exit and had their way blocked by Secret Service officers.

That’s when Hillary, Bill and Chelsea Clinton came walking by. Through luck, Ahearne was able to shake hands with the former first family, and meet the woman who had inspired his journey to Denver.

For the convention’s finale on Aug. 28, delegates were joined by a crowd of 80,000 at Invesco Field to witness Obama’s acceptance of the party’s nomination. In contrast to Pepsi Center, Ahearne said events at the football stadium were well-organized. He was given a place on the field 50 yards from the stage where Obama spoke before a cheerful, roaring crowd.

“It was very cool getting to see everyone up close,” Ahearne said.

Ahearne returned to Bainbridge over the weekend tired from the long hours but enthusiastic about the people he had met and the process he was part of.

“It was very exciting and interesting,” he said, “especially for someone like me who hadn’t been involved in the party.”