South Carolina Democrats ‘fired up’ for Harris-Walz ticket as DNC begins

CHICAGO (WCBD)- Enthusiasm for the new presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was high among South Carolina Democrats as the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago on Monday.

“Everybody’s excited about this,” State Sen. Deon Tedder (D-Charleston) said. “It’s a different energy in the room, particularly with Vice President Harris and her running mate, Walz.”

President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race and subsequent endorsement of Harris sparked excitement among many in the party who had doubts about the 81-year-old’s viability.

The party quickly coalesced around her, and within days she was smashing fundraising records, taking over social media, and generating levels of excitement that some Democrats said reminded them of the energy that surrounded Barack Obama’s historic candidacy nearly two decades ago.

“We can’t pretend that that energy has not changed,” Tedder said, adding that while President Biden has done an “amazing job,” Harris offers a new perspective.

“She brings some youthfulness to this that a lot of people were concerned about,” he said. “She’s sharp. She’s intelligent. She’s articulate and able to deliver and we believe she will deliver in November.”

Tedder is just one of thousands of people in Chicago for the four-day event where party leaders and elected officials are expected to tout the Biden administration’s accomplishments and chart a course for the next four years.

Harris has already begun the process, rolling out a set of sweeping economic policy proposals last week, including a federal ban on grocery price gouging and a boost in housing construction.

“It’s a bigger contrast between what she wants to do economically than what Trump wants to do,” South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain said Sunday night on CNN. “She wants to help the middle class. People are really tired of just trying to get by and they trust Vice President Harris as President Harris to help us get ahead.”

The convention delegates, including those from South Carolina, will be tasked with voting on the party’s platform and also gather on the convention floor Tuesday to symbolically cast their votes for Harris.

Tedder — who is not a delegate — said South Carolinians are “fired up” for the opportunity to show their support for the vice president, who will make history as the first Black woman and Indian American to secure a major party’s nomination.

“She understands what it’s like to be a minority…to be counted out and to be counted against,” he said. “To be able to be in the position she’s in…it really inspires a new generation of young women. I think that’s an important piece she brings. She changes the dynamic and people can relate to that.”

But as a new era of leadership is ushered in, another will end as President Biden passes the torch to his vice president.

It will be a stirring moment for the entire party, but especially for those from South Carolina, who helped deliver Biden to the nomination in 2020 and were the first in the nation to cast votes in support of his reelection.

“For President Biden’s lifetime of achievement in service of his country, we owe him a great debt of gratitude,” Biden’s longtime ally and friend Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday night.

The Associated Press contributed.

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