Washington’s 41st Legislative District bucked trends Saturday as the only district in the state to support Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Statewide, the March 26 precinct caucuses handed Sanders an overwhelming victory, giving him 72.7 percent of precinct-level delegates.

But the 41st was nearly evenly split, with a slight edge for Clinton. Clinton received 355 precinct-level delegates over Sanders’ 345. One delegate was uncommitted.

“I think she’s the best presidential candidate and the one who will be the most capable of taking the lead from day one in office,” David Israel of Sammamish said at a caucus at Sunny Hills Elementary Saturday. “But I’ll support whichever candidate nominated. The important thing is defeating the Republicans in November.”

The Sunny Hills caucus — which included the 41st’s 12 easternmost precincts, in Sammamish, Issaquah and unincorporated King County — saw strong support for both Democratic candidates. Some voters could be seen wearing the regalia of long gone, but unforgotten candidates; one precinct leader still sported a T-shirt declaring Elizabeth Warren as “The Only Candidate Money Can’t Buy.”

“I don’t want Hillary or Trump elected,” Steven Hsu said. Like most Washington Democrats, he would be supporting Sanders on Saturday. “He’s honest. He doesn’t flip-flop on stuff and he doesn’t have a record of doing what’s popular.”

The Clinton-Sanders race brought out several voters to their first caucus. Kathleen Facciolo was a long-time registered voter who had never caucused.

“We’re actually moving out of the area to Connecticut, where they don’t caucus,” she said. “So this is probably my last chance.”

She said she wasn’t sure what the process entailed, but she planned to “raise [her] hand and raise it tall” for Sanders.

While Washington state’s GOP primary is determined by a single mail-in ballot on May 26, the state Democratic party uses a four-step series of in-person caucuses to select its delegates.

The delegates selected by Saturday’s precinct caucuses will vote in legislative district caucuses and the May 1 county convention. The county convention will lead into the congressional district caucuses and the June 17 state convention, which will pick the 101 delegates who ultimately vote at the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Though the caucus is the formal process by which Washington state Democrats pick their preferred nominee, the process can seem startlingly informal. Precinct voters meet, talk and try to change minds through the power of rhetoric before casting their choice.

Sammamish resident and Clinton “Caucus Captain” Lindsay Donahue was picked to lead her precinct’s discussion simply because she showed up early, she said.

Script in hand, Donahue struggled to convince anyone who had shown up from her precinct to volunteer as secretary or tally-keeper. She began pointing at an older woman who emphatically shook her head from side to side.

“Aw, mom!” Donahue said.

Across the elementary school multipurpose room, the man in the Warren shirt lead his precinct in a rhythmic clap leading into discussion. Discussions were beginning in earnest — at different paces — across the room.

In the corner, a man in a Native American print jacket who had driven to the caucus in a Tesla passionately discussed the candidates’ voting record on the Iraq War, using phrases such as “can’t forgive” and “won’t forget.”

Donahue’s precinct secretary told the group how he had given more than $100 to Sanders’ campaign so far.

Another Sanders supporter shouted, “One fringe candidate can mobilize the people!”

“People sure get fired up,” Donahue’s mother, Billie Donahue said, as she changed seats. “It’s like, ‘Sorry I have an opinion, you know?'”

Meanwhile, the junior Donahue explained how she felt Clinton was an inspiration to an entire generation of ambitious young girls.

“It’s true she’s establishment,” she said. “… [But] her breadth of experience is what’s going to get it done.”

As Democrats cast their final votes and filed out of the elementary, Donahue sat hunched over the tallied votes, preparing to pass them on to the caucus leaders. She was exhausted but exhilarated; like so many others, this had been her first caucus. But she said she was proud to participate and have her say for Clinton.

“I had to miss the last two because I was living abroad,” she said. “I actually made my parents describe them to me over the phone.

“It’s very exciting,” she said.