77 days.
While there were many themes of the Democratic National Convention, which I attended for the entire week as an elected delegate, this one stood out most. We had only 77 days to convince the public to reject MAGA and elect Vice President Kamala Harris to the White House. And considering that presidential elections typically begin two years in advance of Election Day in the U.S., 77 days is a blink of an eye.
I had never been to a convention before, but I was among people who had been to many. One woman had been to the last five DNCs and said that this convention was different from every other she had ever been to. For one, there were signs everywhere that the campaign had turned on a dime – less merchandise than usual because the planned shirts, hats, and keychains had been for Biden. Guests booked at the last minute and some did not show up at all (and I’m not talking about Beyonce’s rumored appearance).
And lastly, the planned security was just not enough – the DNC was not ready for the overwhelming number of people who wanted to attend the Harris convention when they had no interest in a Biden one. Attendees, including delegates like myself, spent hours on buses going just a few miles away or standing in lines wrapped around Chicago city blocks outside the United Center.
People become delegates in two ways – they either get an automatic slot by being an elected official, or they are elected as delegates by constituents in their congressional districts. Getting elected was just the first step of my delegate journey. After being elected, we had to attend meetings every two weeks to discuss logistics and procedures and gather the money necessary to attend the convention. The DNC had eight hotels for 4,000 delegates for security purposes, which charged us $500 a night with tax, and we were responsible for our own meals, transportation, and other expenses. Many delegates ran GoFundMe pages before August to afford the hefty price tag.
Everything changed on July 22 when President Biden decided not to run for president. Delegates were released from their obligation to vote for President Biden, so Vice President Harris had to earn their votes. Anyone challenging Vice President Harris had mere days to collect enough signatures to be on the ballot, and delegates had to cast an electronic ballot for their choice by July 31 in a “virtual roll call” – 99% of us voted for Vice President Harris.
When we arrived in Chicago, Vice President Harris was a lock – and we were there to party! The Republican National Committee, held a few weeks earlier, was seen as dull and mean, so the DNC wanted to show the contrast by making the convention as upbeat and joyful as possible. Every night was filled with high-profile politicians, especially from swing states, and celebrities. Music played all night long. We heard Stevie Wonder and John Legend perform, among others. And we were given so many signs to hold up – signs that showed we loved President Biden, Governor Tim Walz, unions, and even Doug Emhoff.
While there, we learned a carefully curated story of Kamala Harris’ political rise, focusing on her middle-class story, her single mother, and how, from childhood, she fought to help those wronged. They told of her meteoric rise to Attorney General and Senator, and her love story with Doug. And when we weren’t in the United Center, we were in caucus meetings, learning about policies for women, policies for addressing poverty, and policies for addressing LGBTQ+ issues. Each caucus meeting was attended by superstars like Pete Buttigieg, Jasmine Crockett, and Nancy Pelosi.
As delegates, we weren’t just there to cast a vote – after all, we had officially cast our votes the week earlier. We were there because we were 4,000 of some of the most committed organizers in the nation, who would work hardest to get the word out about Vice President Harris’ story and why she is the best candidate to lead our country. It’s why every politician from Buttigieg to Walz was willing to take selfies with any one of us who asked.
The days were long, and sometimes the nights even longer, but being there was the energy we all wanted and needed. Being a delegate felt like going to a Democratic summer camp, where we were rallied to get us through the next 77 days.
We are ready to fight and win the 2024 presidential election!