SC Democrats are returning from the DNC ready to knock on doors

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain introduces the delegation on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 during the ceremonial roll call in Chicago. To her left are Sens. Margie Bright Matthews of Walterboro and Minority Leader Brad Hutto of Orangeburg. (Democratic National Convention livestream)

Mattie Thomas could not help crying during the roll call to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee on Tuesday.

“Tears were just rolling down my face,” she said, as each state ceremonially cast their votes on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Thomas, 74, has been involved in Democratic politics for almost two decades. But this was her first time as a delegate.

For the roll call, she stood between South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who is also from the Palmetto State.

Spain introduced the 65 members of the Palmetto State delegation over the strains of native son James Brown’s “Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine.”

“Jamie said, ‘Oh please don’t cry, Ms. Mattie,’ and I rested my head on his shoulder, and I stopped crying,” she told the SC Daily Gazette on Wednesday. “It was so amazing to know my little 3-month-old great, great niece will one day look on television and see her aunt nominating the first woman of color president.”

Thomas said she left Lake City in Florence County when she was 18 and moved to New Jersey, where she worked her way up the ranks at White Castle. In 2005, she retired and moved back to Lake City, where she found she had “too much time on my hands.”

She filled the time working with the Democratic Party — her current roles are co-chair of the party’s senior caucus and vice-chair of the rural caucus — as well as being a school trustee for Florence County District Three (Lake City).

Thomas attended the 2012 DNC in Charlotte and the 2016 DNC in Pennsylvania in volunteer roles with presidential campaigns. But this was her first opportunity to actually nominate the candidate.

After the vote, Thomas said her phone started blowing up with messages from family members who had helped sponsor her trip to Chicago and who had seen her on television.

“I looked down at my phone and it was ding, ding, ding,” she said.

“20 out of 24 hours”

In between nightly speeches, the delegates were busy.

Each morning, the delegation attended a state breakfast and heard from guest speakers including Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

“There’s a lot of networking going on. There’s a lot of conversations that have been had,” said Nikita Jackson, chair of the York County Democrats. “We’re talking amongst each other about what we’re doing in our own respective states, what’s working in our area, what’s not working in our area.”

It was the first time Jackson, 51, of Rock Hill had attended the DNC, where she is serving as a delegate.

She has lots of ideas to bring back to York County, where volunteers are already knocking on doors. And she said she appreciated hearing from so many established and rising Democrats — Whitmer, especially, “brought so much energy,” she said.

“You get on the elevator with somebody… and when the person gets off you hear, ‘He’s going to be running for governor of his state here pretty soon,’” Jackson said. “You’re trying to say, ‘Oh, I gotta remember him.'”

After breakfasts, delegates headed to caucus meetings or seminars before heading to the nightly convention. There were also special lunches at the convention, including one honoring South Carolina’s only Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn , and another on Thursday honoring Harrison.

Addressing the DNC, Clyburn praises President Biden for picking, backing Harris

Delegates generally tried to be in their seats about 5:30 p.m. for the laundry list of convention speakers. After the speeches wrapped for the night (or early morning) came the after-parties.

“You could legitimately stay busy at events here 20 out of 24 hours,” said Brady Quirk-Garvan.

Quirk-Garvan, another delegate who previously served as party chair for Charleston County, is an old hand at the DNC. The 37-year-old from North Charleston is at his fourth convention. But he feels like this one is special.

“It has been incredibly electric and uplifting. There is no doubt in my mind that this has been the most exciting and energy-filled convention I’ve ever been to,” he said Thursday.

Clyburn, speaking live with the Washington Post on Wednesday, said the energy at the DNC this year surpassed the energy in 2008, when Barrack Obama made his successful run to become the nation’s first Black president.

“I saw what was happening in 2008 at my fish fry. When Obama took the stage at that fish fry, I knew that there was magic in the air,” he said, referring to his annual spring event.

His free, public “ world famous fish fry” that follows the party’s fundraising dinner is not only a staple of the state political calendar but also a must-attend event for Democratic presidential hopefuls.

“As good as (Obama) was, effective as he was, he finished second to Kamala” in generating enthusiasm, Clyburn said during the 20-minute livestreamed interview.

Returning ready

The Palmetto State has long punched above its weight in presidential campaigns, as home of the first-in-the-South nominating contests for both parties. President Joe Biden has repeatedly thanked South Carolina voters for catapulting him to the White House in 2020.

But this year took it to whole new level, said Quirk-Garvan, with party leaders like Clyburn and Harrison hailing from South Carolina and by hosting Democrats’ first recognized nominating contest in the nation.

“I think there’s been a lot of talk among delegates that … we should not take that for granted,” he said, along with discussions about how to preserve the state’s position on the calendar.

Delegates will be returning from the convention ready to campaign.

Even state Democratic leadership acknowledges that ruby-red South Carolina is not going to flip in November .

But delegates said enthusiasm for Harris will help candidates statewide in a year every legislator is on the ballot.

Jackson said the York County party office will be open seven days a week heading into the election.

Quirk-Garvan is volunteering with two state House campaigns. Thomas said she will be working in Lake City but is also ready to travel to North Carolina or Georgia if Democrats in the neighboring swing states need help.

First, though, Thomas was looking forward to Harris’ closing night speech.

“I know I’ll cry again,” she said.