Don't be surprised if a real jackass shows up at the National Democratic Convention this summer.

Tonight, a donkey will be chosen at the National Western Draft Horse and Mule Show to serve as the official mascot for the convention in Denver on Aug. 25 through 28.

"I think if the Democratic Party is to truly find its way, the noble ass can help them find it," said Curtis Imrie, 61, of Buena Vista, a longtime donkey breeder and three-time world champion pack burro racer.

The contest to find the perfect party animal will be open to donkeys shown by youths under 18, and will be limited to 10 to 15 entries.

Only eight were entered as of late Friday.

The National Western approached the Democratic National Convention Committee about the contest last year.

"You have two very important events for Denver," said Brad Ettleman, horse show manager for the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo and Horse Show. "It came together as something that we could work together on."

Judges for the mascot contest will be a mix of Democratic and stock show officials: U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.; John Stulp, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture; Leah Daughtry, Democratic National Convention CEO; Pat Grant, president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show; and Elbra Wedgeworth, president of the 2008 Host Committee.

The donkeys will be judged for temperament, how well they behave with their handler, and for what Natalie Wyeth of the DNCC calls the "cuteness" factor.

"It is expected that the donkey will make some appearances on behalf of the convention," she said.

Imrie - a Democrat, of course - said he believes a donkey is the perfect symbol for the Democratic Party.

"I like their strength, their patience, their work ethic, their hard-suffering attitude, and the fact that they promise a higher wisdom and great opportunity, if you can figure them out."

He said that contrary to popular belief, donkeys are not stubborn.

"As a desert animal, they are cautious and mindful of their rights. They really like to be part of the decision-making process."

In 2002, when Imrie ran as the Democratic nominee for the Fifth Congressional District, he made his announcement with one of his jacks, Maasai, then 4, next to him on the podium.

He didn't win (or his run in 2006 for the 60th District House seat) but said he hopes to improve his chances at the convention mascot competition by entering three of his jack burros: Maasai, now 9; Further, 4; and Mordecai, 7.

He also plans to enter Maasai in the costume contest, dressed in elephant ears and trunk to represent the Republican symbol.

"It's in the spirit of bipartisanship," Imrie quipped.

A stubborn symbol

The donkey wasn't chosen by the Democratic Party as its mascot - rather, it became associated with the party through its use by political cartoonists.

* 1828: Andrew Jackson was running for president, and his opponents labeled him a "jackass" because of his populist views. Jackson turned that to his advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters.

* 1837: The first political cartoon using a donkey to represent the Democratic Party shows Jackson trying to steer a donkey to where he wanted it to go.

* 1870: Political cartoonist Thomas Nast first used the donkey in Harper's Weekly to represent the "Copperhead press" kicking a dead lion, symbolizing President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who had recently died. Nast intended the donkey to represent the anti-war faction, with whom he disagreed. He later used the donkey to represent some Democratic editors and newspapers.

* 1874: First time both the donkey and the elephant were used to represent the Democratic and Republican parties was in a cartoon by Nast in Harper's Weekly. Titled "The Third Term Panic," it showed animals representing various issues running away from a donkey wearing a lion's skin tagged "Caesarism." The elephant was labeled "The Republican Vote," and it was about to run into a pit.

Nast was trying to show that the Democrats were trying to scare the public by suggesting that Republican President Ulysses S. Grant was going to run for a third term.

If you go

Date: Today

Time: 7 p.m.

Where: Events Center

Event: National Western Draft Horse and Mule Show

Tickets: $14