[ad_1]
The opening night of the Democratic National Convention had a packed lineup of speakers and performers—a who’s-who of celebrities, members of congress, state officials, activists and labor leaders.
Here are some of the big names that took the stage to address the packed United Center, full of convention delegations from every state and territory of the United States.
Permanent Convention Chair Minyon Moore and Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison gavelled in the convention before Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took the podium to begin the night’s series of speeches.
Rep. Maxine Waters of California spoke about the civil rights figure Fannie Lou Hamer and her activism at Democratic Conventions past.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Melanie Campbell spoke on making progress in the historic fight for Black representation in politics.
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team.
Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois contrasted President Joe Biden with former President Donald Trump, whose job performance she criticized.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California praised Biden’s COVID-19 response and criticized Trump’s.
ALS activists Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya spoke on the importance of healthcare access.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois praised Biden’s record of job creation and low unemployment
Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio criticized vice-presidential candidate JD Vance’s performance as an Ohio Senator.
A group of prominent labor leaders—Lee Saunders of the AFSCME, April Verrett of the Service Employees International Union, Brent Booker of the Laborer’s International Union of North America, Ken Cooper of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Claude Cummings Jr. of the Communication Workers of America and Liz Shuler of the AFL-CIO spoke on the importance of strong labor protections and praised Biden administration economic policy.
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles talked on child welfare in California and Harris’s track record of advocating for better policies for vulnerable children.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis spoke on roads and bridges and other infrastructure.
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez spoke on the importance of access to healthcare.
Houston-area County Executive Lina Hidalgo talked about natural disaster response under the Biden administration.
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis recalled serving alongside her friend Harris in state government and touted her strengths.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Michigan warned of the dangers of the Republican Project 2025 playbook.
Deja Foxx, reproductive rights activist, political strategist and social media personality pushed for policy to improve for quality of life for young people and people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Sen. Laphonza Butler of California spoke about her friendship with Harris and praised her character as a person and a public servant.
Commerce Secretary and former Rhode Island Gov. Gina M. Raimondo talked about the loss of middle-class manufacturing jobs under Republican economic policies in the 1980s.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul talked about the American dream, manufacturing jobs and the “opportunity economy.”
Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the convention and led the crowd in “celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden.”
Tony Goldwyn, Hollywood Actor and Director, encouraged people to get involved in the Harris campaign.
Steve Kerr, Olympic men’s basketball coach talked about the teamwork that won the U.S. team Olympic gold as an example of the way people should work together in politics.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain spoke about pushing for labor rights, saying that “Trump is a scab.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York fighting for the middle class, reproductive freedoms, civil rights and working for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Stacey Johnson-Batiste and Doris Johnson, a childhood friend of Harris and her mother, reminisced on their youth in Oakland.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on the historic nature of Harris’s campaign and the glass ceiling she is poised to break.
Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina underlined the accomplishments of the Biden Harris administration.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland spoke about January 6 and the danger of Trump’s election denialism.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas spoke about Harris’ track record and capability as recalled an emotional anecdote of a moment of personal support from Harris.
Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who had life threatening medical emergency after she was denied an abortion for a fetus that had fatal complications and her husband Josh Zurawski spoke on the importance of abortion access.
Kaitlyn Joshua, a Louisiana woman denied medical care for a miscarriage because of a restrictive abortion ban and Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky sexual assault survivor and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear each also spoke on the importance of access to reproductive healthcare.
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock spoke on the American Dream, Biden’s performance in the national recovery from COVID-19 and the danger of a potential second Trump presidency.
Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware thanked Biden and led the crowd in chants of “We love Joe.”
First Lady Jill Biden spoke about her 50-year marriage to the president.
Ashley Biden, Joe Biden’s daughter spoke about their relationship and lauded his qualities as a father.
President Joe Biden, the night’s headliner, took the stage to reflect on his accomplishments as President and in his long career in Congress. He expressed his total confidence in Harris as his hand-picked successor, closing his speech by saying that he was more hopeful now than at any other point in his time in Washington.
Source link
