In 1968, Democrats gathered in Chicago to nominate Vice President Hubert Humphrey as their presidential candidate after President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for re-election, Robert F. Kennedy was shot, and anti-Vietnam War protests grew.
Fifty-six years later, Democrats will gather again in Chicago again under very similar circumstances.
For many delegates, this was not the convention they had envisioned.
“I was confident in Biden, but I was concerned after he got COVID and the debate happened,” Erika White, a delegate for the 9th District, said. “I don’t want to diminish the work that he’s done, I think he’s done an excellent job ... but this is a whole other path with a new candidate and new excitement.”
Less than one month ago, President Biden announced he was stepping down from the presidential ticket amidst growing concern about his ability to effectively govern. He quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris who became the front-runner candidate from the party.
Now, about 50,000 people are expected to be in Chicago to support Ms. Harris at the Democratic National Convention, which starts Monday and rolls through Thursday. All eyes will be on Ms. Harris at the United Center arena as she formally accepts the nomination on the last night.
Each morning, the delegation will hold meetings over breakfast with legislators. Ohio’s delegation has 144 voting members, with 175 members total. The delegation is also expected to be joined by U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty (D., Columbus), Shontel Brown (D., Cleveland), and Greg Landsman (D., Cincinnati).
Toledo will also get some representation at the breakfast table as Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will get a few minutes to “rally the troops” on Monday. This will be his fourth convention as a delegate.
“I’ll probably highlight the contrast between Harris, who is a former prosecutor, and Trump, who is a convicted felon,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “And I’ll talk about Trump’s record because I think sometimes people forget what’s in the past.”
Beyond the formalities, the convention is largely ceremonial, since the committee opted to do a virtual roll call earlier this month. Normally the roll call vote would take place in person, but this is the second presidential election in which the Democratic Party held it virtually. The first was in 2020 during the pandemic. Ms. Harris was the only candidate to qualify for the roll call and earned 4,567 votes.
Since then, she has hit the campaign trail, focusing her attention on key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. At her first rally in Philadelphia, she announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. He will formally accept the nomination on Wednesday.
“The Midwest is this grit and grind that maybe our West Coast and East Coast doesn’t necessarily get, but we’re passionate here and very loving and friendly and hard-working, and so I think that’s why Tim has really resonated with our Midwest families,” Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki said.
It’s Ms. Sobecki’s first convention as a delegate for the 9th District, and she said she doesn’t think the excitement will die down anytime soon.
“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to leave that convention, and there’s going to be phone calls made to elect Kamala and Sherrod Brown and Marcy Kaptur that is just going to continue to grow,” Ms. Sobecki said.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) will not be in attendance for the conference, although his opponent Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno took the national stage during the Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee.
Eliza Green, a spokesman for Mr. Brown’s campaign, said he is taking the time to meet with people across Ohio.
“We've been planning to be in Ohio for months and Sherrod is looking forward to hearing from Ohioans in Youngstown, Toledo, Cleveland, Chillicothe, and Sandusky next week to discuss his record fighting for the Dignity of Work,” Ms. Green wrote in a statement.
Mr. Brown endorsed Ms. Harris’s candidacy shortly after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race. U.S. Rep. Kaptur (D., Toledo) has also been a vocal supporter of the ticket. A spokesman for Ms. Kaptur said her schedule for the week of the convention had not yet been confirmed as of Friday.
Some Republicans are calling the party’s enthusiasm the “Harris Honeymoon,” typically in reference to her status in the polls, but Ms. White, who is running as state representative for Ohio’s 41st district, has another name for it.
“I call it that Black girl magic,” she said. “... I think the excitement will not only continue but grow.”
Ms. White is also a first-time delegate. State Sen. Bill DeMora (D., Columbus) previously told The Blade that about 80 percent of Ohio’s delegation is first-time convention attendees.
Other delegates representing the 9th district include state Rep. Elgin Rogers (D., Toledo), state Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, Toledo City Council President Carrie Hartman, UAW Local 14 President Tony Totty, Ohio Unity Coalition leader Pierrette Talley, pharmacy technician Daniel Ortiz, and Toledo resident Ron Birchfield. Catherine Hernandez, the recording secretary for the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and Toledo City Councilman Nick Komives will attend as alternates.
Most Popular
Comments / 0