Please welcome permanent chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Mignon Moore,
and chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jamie Harrison.
Hello everyone, I am Mignon Moore, permanent chair of the Democratic National Committee.
It is a pleasure to welcome you all to my hometown Chicago.
This convention is a celebration of our hard work and accomplishments and of the American
spirit that makes this party and our country great.
That's the spirit President Biden reignited when he told us we were in the battle for
the soul of our nation.
Throughout his term, he has brought us together and revived our country and our country's
soul, and last month in a true act of patriotism, he passed the torch to the next generation
and the next President of the United States, Kamala Harris.
As convention chair, I may appoint officers to assist in the conduct of our proceedings.
It is my honor to announce the following convention officers, assisting as co-chairs our Lieutenant
Governor Peggy Flanagan, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Senator Cory Booker, and Congresswoman
as Veronica S. Gavar.
Our convention parliamentarians will be former House Majority Whip, Steny Hoarder,
Hoyer, Gridery Johnson, and DNC parliamentary Helen McFadden, Lieutenant Governor Garland
Gilcrest, Harris County Judge, Lena Hildelgo, and Congressman Ted Lu will serve as Sergeant
at Arms.
Louis Terrell will serve as our book doorkeeper and Congresswoman Barbara Lee will serve
as our time keeper.
I'd now like to turn it over to my friend, Chairman Harris.
Thank you, Mignon.
Hello, Democrats!
The Democratic Party is 196 years old, it's the oldest active political party in the world.
Every person here is a part of a movement that brings America closer to our goal of a more
perfect union, and every convention is a moment.
It's a moment that contributes to our movement.
It's moments like 60 years ago when Fannie Lou Hamer told the shocking story of the racist
brutality she suffered simply for registering to vote, or 52 years ago, when Shirley Chisholm
ran a historic race for the presidential nomination, or 40 years ago, when a round-headed boy
from South Carolina, the same before you today, watched Reverend Jesse Jackson challenge
America to hope and to dream.
Because all of these moments led us to this transformational moment, when a black convention
chair and a black DNC chair lead us in nominating a black and AAPI woman to be the next President
of the United States.
Folks, this is because the Democratic Party is and always will be for the people who are
for our future.
We are honored to be a part of American history as we gavel in this convention and celebrate
this historic nomination.
I would like to thank the incredible workers at this year's convention, the convention
staff led by the amazing Aleutorn Brook and our convention chair, Menon Moore, and my
amazing staff at the DNC.
You quite literally set the stage for us today, and we wouldn't be here without all
of you.
We hereby call the in-person portion of the 49th Quadrino Democratic National Convention
to order.
Please stand if you are able for this evening's invocation offered by Cardinal Blaze Joseph
Supich, Archbishop of Chicago.
Let us pray.
We praise you, O God of all creation, quicken in us a resolve to protect your handiwork.
You are the source of every blessing that graces our lives and our nation.
We pray that you help us to truly understand and answer the sacred call of citizenship.
We are a nation composed of every people and culture, united not by ties of blood,
but by the profound aspirations of life and freedom, justice and unbound hope.
These aspirations are why our forebears saw America as a beacon of hope, and with your
steady guidance, Lord, may we remain so today.
In every generation, we are called to renew these aspirations, to re-weave the fabric
of America.
We do so when we live out the virtues that dwell in our hearts, but also when we confront
our failures to root out ongoing injustices in our national life, especially those created
by moral blindness and fear of the other.
We pray for peace, especially for people suffering the senselessness of war.
But as we pray, we must also act.
For building up the common good takes work, it takes love, and so we pray.
May our nation become more fully a builder of peace in our wounded world with the courage
to imagine and pursue a loving future together.
And may we as individual Americans become more fully the instrument of God's peace.
Let us Lord, in taking up our responsibility to forge this new chapter of our nation's
history, let it be rooted in the recognition that for us, as for every generation, unity,
triumphing over division, is what advances human dignity and liberty.
Let it be propelled by the women and men elected to serve in public life who know that
service is the mark of true leadership and let this new chapter of our nation's history
be filled with overwhelming hope, a hope that refuses to narrow our national vision.
But rather, as Pope Francis has said, to dream dreams and see visions of what by your grace
our world can become.
We ask all of this, trusting in your ever-provident care for us, amen.
Please welcome Prairie Band Padua Tommy, nation tribal council vice chair Zach Pamami,
and secretary Lori Melchior.
Here we are, together, on our ancestral homelands of the Prairie Band Padua
deme nation and our sister Padua deme nations.
We also honor the spirit of the other tribal nations who traveled westward to this beautiful
area.
Welcome 2024 Democratic National Convention to our homelands.
This land has and always will carry enormous importance to its original stewards, our
ancestors, and our present-day communities.
I am vice chairman of the Prairie Band Padua deme nation, joined by secretary Lori Melchior,
and our nation's tribal council who are also with us in the audience.
From time to memorial, our ancestors lived in the Great Lakes region.
However, in 1849, an illegal auction by the U.S. government forcibly removed our tribe
from our homeland.
Since then, we have been working to reclaim it.
Finally, this year, the Department of the Interior placed some of our ancestral lands
west of Chicago into a trust.
Thanks, thanks to the resolve of our tribal community and the Biden-Harris administration,
we reclaimed a piece of our home.
We became the only federally recognized tribal nation in Illinois in 175 years.
Together in our homelands, let's have a joyful historic convention.
Congratulations to you all, Miigwech.
These remain standing for the presentation of colors by the Illinois State Police Honor
and from South Carolina to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for
which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
Please welcome the sole children of Chicago to sing our national anthem.
O say can you see why the dawn's early light was so proudly we hailed at the twilight's
last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
O'er the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Welcome to the greatest city in the world, Chicago,
where Ida B. Wells and Jane Adams organized to deliver real transformative change across this
country, Chicago, where Reverend Jesse Jackson united people from all different backgrounds
to keep hope alive and to a community organizer on the south side of Chicago.
Barack Obama rose to the White House reminding us that yes we can.
And now Chicago, this city of hard work and caring people is where Democrats will celebrate
President Joe Biden and nominate Kamala Harris for President of the United States of America.
As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris,
the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day, she is going to look out for the
interest of everyday people. I know that as a fellow former social studies teacher,
that Governor Tim Walls will never shriek from standing up for our democracy and for those most
in need. And as a black man, raising a little black girl on the west side of Chicago,
I know that my daughter, Braden, will see not only a reflection of herself in the White House,
but she will experience the deepest part of American values.
Think about it. What will it take to build the middle class and make it easier for families,
not only to get by, but to get ahead? It will take someone with toughness to stand up for us.
And let me tell you America, Kamala's got it.
What will it take to defend our fundamental rights and our freedoms? It will take someone
with leadership who would fight for us. And let me tell you America, leadership, Kamala, she's got it.
And what will it take to defeat MAGA Republicans and move our country forward and not backwards?
It will take everyone and let me tell you all, Kamala, she's got us.
From Mississippi, to Pennsylvania, to Delaware, Kamala Harris, she's got us.
From Michigan, to Wisconsin, to Nevada, to California, and right here in Illinois,
Kamala Harris, she's got us. To the child care workers, to the temp workers, Kamala Harris,
she's got us. And to make sure that this country ensures that families will have access
to real affordable housing, to create a pathway to the American dream, Kamala Harris, she's got us
together. We can build a better, brighter future. And there's no better place to start that than
right here in the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago. God bless you all.
Thank you.
This is our time. We've got steel in our spines, iron in our veins, and hope in our hearts.
We've got the flavor, the guts, the grit, and those big shoulders you've heard so much about.
We are bold city, a proud city, of who you call it in Second City, where 77 neighborhoods are one,
a city of giants, a city with heart, a city with heroes, a sweet, sweet place to call home.
We were born ready, baptized by fire, tires, tenacious, tested, trusted.
And like someone else we know, when we fight, we win. We're ready to rise to the challenge,
to rise to new heights, rise, rise, rise, up and away we go.
We're ready to scrape the sky and reach for the stars, to stand tall for tomorrow,
to witness greatness. We ain't going back. We've got big things to do, big shoes to fill,
big dreams to realize. We ain't afraid of nothing. No nonsense, no fear. Oh yeah, we're ready.
So America, welcome to Chicago. We've got our dance and shoes on. We've got our game faces on.
America, we look like you, sound like you, work like you, dream like you. We feel you America.
We see you America. Hey, make some noise so we can hear you America.
Welcome to Chicago.
Hello, my friends.
My fellow Democrats,
I started my journey to this stage in 1988.
I was 12 years old and my family was watching the Democratic National Convention.
Now, to be honest, I wanted to watch something else.
But we all knew when my grandfather sat in his chair, the TV was his.
But folks, when Reverend Jackson came on, I paid attention. A black man from South Carolina,
raised by a single mother. That was me. And as long as I live, I will never forget what he said.
He challenged young people to hope and to dream. So that's exactly what I did.
I dreamed big. I worked hard and I never lost hope.
When our power was cut off, when there was nothing in the fridge,
when we lost our home to a con man, I never lost hope.
And now my friends, I'm standing on the same convention stage that inspired me.
And I'm the chair of the Democratic Party, the world's oldest political party.
Folks, only in America. And that's the beautiful thing about this country that I love so much.
Hope and hard work can take you anywhere. You can go to college, you can start your own business.
You can even win the Olympics. That's the America Democrats believe in.
And that's the America Democrats are fighting for.
So four years ago, my friends, we were a country divided by fear.
And we were stuck under a man who preached bigotry and hatred.
Hope was lost. But my friends, we found hope in President Biden and Vice President Harris
and the 80 million Americans who stood by their side. And now we are united.
We're united in our pursuit of progress because my friends, they saw us.
They fought for us. They heard us. And under their transformational leadership,
we have forgiven billions in student loans. We have expanded access to health care.
And we have strengthened the middle class. But the fight continues. And there is still more work to do.
You know, I know that we, when we elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,
they will build on our accomplishments. And they will create a country that works for every
American. They will invest in our dreams and our futures. And hope will light our path forward.
They will lead us in the fight for America. And believe me, when we fight,
we win. And folks, we can never forget who we are fighting for. This election is about Americans
who are watching right now wondering who's going to finally pave that dirt road or make it easier
to feed their family or get medical bills under control. This election is about those who believe
anybody can achieve their dreams if they work hard and trust in the endless possibilities
of America. This election is about communities who need to see that hope and joy will always
overcome fear and chaos. This election is about every little boy inspired by a party chair who
looks like him and every little girl who will finally see a president who looks like her.
My friends, we are paving a path for them. We're working toward a brighter future for them.
And we need each and every one of you to join us. And my beloved home state of South Carolina.
Our motto is, while I breathe, I hope. Folks, I believe in the power of hope. But it's going to
take more than hope to win this election. So in the next 78 days, our motto can't be just
while I breathe, I hope. It must be while I breathe, I vote. Because that is how we make hope real for
all of America. America, let's vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, let's save our democracy,
and let's vote for our MVP, Kamala Harris, and our coach, Tim Wells. Thank you all so much for being here.
And now it is indeed my pleasure to introduce our next speaker who will be co-chair for tonight.
This is a young woman who is the current lieutenant governor of the great state of Minnesota.
And when Tim Wells becomes vice president, she will become the first Native American governor
in this great country. Folks, let's welcome Baggy Flurekin.
Good evening.
Thank you, Jamie. As we gather together on this historic night, we remember those who came before
us, who fought and prayed this moment into existence, the suffragists and the abolitionists,
the activists who fought for our rights, the leaders who paved the way for us all,
their courage and conviction shaped the course of history. Their memory reminds us that the fight
for freedom always passes from one generation to the next. We owe it to them and to ourselves,
to carry their legacy forward. Tonight, we pay tribute to those who dare to dream of a country
that truly stands for liberty and justice for all. Next, we'll hear from one of those people,
a lifelong advocate for civil rights, Maxine Waters.
Thank you, Maxine.
Wow.
Hello, delegates.
Now, you know I've seen a lot in my lifetime. I was just 22 years old when Fannie Lou Heyman
made her presence known at another democratic convention. It was in 1964 in Atlantic City,
and she arrived with a group of black delegates from Mississippi.
And she simply asked, she simply asked that her delegates be seated in place of the state's
all white delegation. She told the people in the room about the violence she suffered at the hands
of white police, because she, a black woman, had demanded her right to vote.
When she finished, she asked the country a simple but profound question. Is this America?
She didn't get the outcome she was hoping for in Atlantic City, but you can bet that when the
official Mississippi delegation was seated at the convention four years later, Fannie Lou Heyman
was sitting there with them. Now, here we are. Here we are. 60 years later at another democratic
convention with Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris as our part is nominee.
Also, I know there is no better leader. To marshal us into the future, Kamala has been a courtroom
prosecutor, a district attorney, an attorney general, a United States senator, vice president
of the United States. And when the dust settles in November, and Americans of all strikes
have elected her, their president, I know she'll be thinking about Fannie Lou,
who I happen to know is one of Kamala's heroes. In that moment, all of us, all of us from New
York to Pennsylvania, to Arizona, to California,
we can ask ourselves, is this America? And we will be able to say loudly and proudly,
your damn right it is.
Please welcome president and CEO of the NAACP, Derek Johnson, and president and CEO of the
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Melanie Campbell.
Good evening. I'm Derek Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, and I'm here to do my black job.
Since the founding of our nation, we have been on an unending march to protect this
imperfect union. Tonight, we celebrate the power of the collective, of what is possible
when we are all in for all people. But as we do, let us not forget the history that preceded this
moment or the history makers who prepared us for it. As we just heard in 1964, the Mississippi
Freedom Democratic Party led by Fannie Lou Hamer, and Mississippi in a ACP state president, Aaron
Henry, who stood tall and challenged a process that excluded them to ensure that we will all
be recognized here tonight. In 1973, the historic elections of Alenta's mayor,
Mayor Jackson, Detroit's mayor, Komi Young, and LA's mayor, Tom Bradley,
paved the way for another historic election just 10 years later, right here in Chicago,
with the election of Harold Washington as the first black mayor of the city of Chicago.
And in 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, in his second quest for the White House, inspired us
all to keep hope alive. Now, this is important because we must all understand black history is
American history. And in this historic moment, we will write the next chapter together.
Good evening. I'm Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black
Civic Participation and National Convener of the Black Women's Round Table.
We have come this far by faith. And for black women, this moment has been a long time coming.
Vice President Kamala Harris' path to becoming the Democratic nominee for president of the United
States has been paid by the leadership, sacrifice, faith, and patriotism of generations of black
women. Black women like Dr. Dorothy Irene Hite, Diane Nash, Ella Baker, Amelia Boynton Robinson,
Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm, and Reverend Willie Barrow.
Women whose optimism about what America could be and their fight to make that vision real
redefined the leadership role that black women could play in moving our nation forward.
As president, Kamala Harris will lead with power, brilliance, and strength from the highest
office in the land.
We resist those attacks collectively, and we will stand together.
Support human rights. We believe that support self-determination will build on that.
Stronger together is not just a lesson from our history.
The institutions of this country belong to all of the people who inhabit it.
Jesse Jackson took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago,
knowing the uphill battle he would face in composing the score of a harmonious nation.
Reverend Jackson started out very young. He opened the door and he continues to do that even now
that all of us have a responsibility for other generations to come behind us.
Jesse Jackson's candidacy in 1984 helped to pave the way of Barack Obama's presidency in 2008.
His 1988 candidacy helped to reshape the Democratic National Committee.
His candidacy was before its time. Fueled by passion and determination
and marching to their own beat, our civil rights leaders laid the groundwork for lasting change,
dreaming of a country where equality and justice inspired the next generation.
We need the energy of our young people. We need the wisdom of our elders. We all can be proud to
say that we are truly a leading democracy and we respect people's ability to exist.
America is not like a blanket, one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture,
the same size. America is more like a quilt, many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes.
Standing on the shoulders of giants, Kamala Harris is the candidate who encompasses the
brilliance, determination, analysis, and the action to carry the torch lit by the founders
of the movement. There's only one choice to represent our collective voice.
What kind of country do we want to live in?
Value system of the modern Democratic Party has been shaped by the civil rights movement of the
1960s. There's a direct line from 1964, the National Democratic Convention, where
Fannie Lou Hamer acts to be seated in 2012, where black women is a democratic nominee.
It's been a long struggle and a long journey, but Fannie is going to be dedicated and sure of
the chance of going to be dedicated in the 24 Democratic Convention.
I wonder if I could sit in a room with Shirley Chisholm with Rosa Parks with Coretta Scott King.
What would they say about what's happening today?
The civil rights movement has been a key part of organizing the agenda, not just of the Democratic
Party, but of democracy. This is the hope that runs through Kamala Harris's leadership,
one where hope, change, and freedom are the drumline of our democracy.
I spend before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the
United States of America. I stand before you today to proudly announce I am now officially
the Democratic nominee. We must never surrender! America will get better! Keep hope alive!
Please welcome founder and president of the Rainbow Push Coalition,
Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Democrats
Our first order of business is adopting an up-to-date convention agenda.
When the Convention Rules Committee met, everyone was working on updating plans based on the
significant changes that had just occurred. When the committee approved an agenda,
it was a work in progress that members knew would need to be revised accordingly.
We now have an agenda for the next four days. The agenda is included in the standing committee
report booklet emailed to each convention participant. In addition to fantastic speakers and
performers, tonight's agenda provides for adopting the up-to-date convention agenda,
hearing the credentials committee report, hearing the rules committee report,
and considering the resolution as recommended by the committee, hearing the platform committee
report and considering our national platform as recommended by the platform committee,
and holding a confirmatory and ceremonial vote for our vice presidential nominee.
Tuesday includes a ceremonial roll call for the presidential nominee.
Wednesday will hear ceremonial nominating speeches for our vice presidential nominee
and governor walls will make his acceptance speech.
And on Thursday, my friends, we'll hear a ceremonial nominating speech for our presidential
nominee and vice president Harris will make her acceptance speech.
So now delegates, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the up-to-date agenda.
Is there a second? All in favor of approving the convention agenda, please say aye.
All opposed say nay. The ayes have it.
Are we going to the next one? Please welcome credentials committee co-chairs
secretary Marcia Fudge and James Roosevelt, Jr.
Greetings, my friends.
It is an honor to have served as co-chair along my friend, Jim Roosevelt pursuant to
the call, the credentials committee met and adopted a resolution to credential the delegates
and alternates to the 2024 national convention. I am pleased to report that there were no
credentials issues to be decided by the committee.
Their work allowed us to nominate two champions for democracy and freedom vice president Harris
and governor walls.
Our delegate selection process is designed to ensure every voice is heard and every vision is heard
and our delegates accurately represent their electorates. Diversity is our party's strength
and I am so proud to see the wonderful representation of our party and democracy here today.
I am pleased to share that the credentials committee report was adopted and all delegates
have been fully credentialed. In memory of Marvin Turner, we are going to have a great convention
and we are going to win. Thank you.
Please welcome rules committee co-chair Bishop Leah Daughtry.
Hello Democrats.
It was my honor to serve as co-chair of the convention rules committee alongside my friend
Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz has a little occupied this evening
but it's good to know that serving as co-chair of the rules committee is a ladder for promotion.
The rules committee adopted the procedural rules of the convention on July 24th.
They are based on long-standing processes governing our convention and ensured that
we met all ballot access deadlines. The rules established the virtual nominating process for
the party's nominees and set the stage for in-person votes at the convention to adopt our platform
and resolutions recommended by the rules committee as well as to cast celebratory votes
on our nominees and hear their acceptance speeches. Under the rules committee authority,
the rules committee is recommending for your approval one resolution contained in the committee's
report. The resolution supports the current practice regarding automatic delegates as well as
other reforms to make our party stronger. The co-chairs are pleased to move the adoption
of this resolution on behalf of the rules committee.
Thank you Bishop Dottree. The rules committee has moved approval of the resolution. Is there a second?
We have a second. I will now call for a voice vote on approving the resolution as recommended
by the rules committee. All those in favor of the committee's recommendation to approve the
resolution say aye. Aye. All opposed say nay. I'm pleased to report for the record that with
a majority of delegates having voted an affirmative the resolution has been approved.
My thanks to our rules committee co-chairs and members for your efforts
to build a transparent and inclusive party. Thank you Madam Chair.
Please welcome platform committee co-chairs Mayor Mitch Landerou and Mayor Regina Romero.
Hello delegates. It is my pleasure to join co-chair Romero to present the national platform
as recommended for approval by the committee. Our platform is grounded in our democratic values
of hope of progress and love of our country. It makes a strong statement about the historic
work that President Biden and Vice President Harris have accomplished hand in hand and it
presents a bold vision for our future. Kamala Harris will protect reproductive freedoms.
Donald Trump will rip them away. Kamala Harris will lower costs for Americans, expand access to
affordable health care, protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Donald Trump
will cut taxes for billionaires and big corporations and he will pay for it by putting health care
and Social Security on the chopping block. Kamala Harris is going to defend democracy.
Donald Trump is going to undermine it. The choice before us is clear and the stakes could not be higher.
When I was not just a mock at this. Mayor Landerou, it was a pleasure to serve as your
co-chair. I also want to recognize Louisa Terrell and the drafting subcommittee for their work.
This platform was passed by the platform committee on July 16th prior to the president
passing the torch in an act of love and patriotism.
And it's the product of a comprehensive process to engage with leaders from all corners of our
winning coalition. Hundreds of submissions, hours upon hours of hearing and testimonies,
countless conversations with community leaders and grassroots Democrats.
All were essential to producing a forward-looking vision for our party that echoes the voices of
all. Vice President Harris is now carrying the torch.
And she and Governor Walls are committed to delivering results for the American people.
Then you have Donald Trump. His extreme agenda is working against everyday Americans.
He is fighting for big oil, big pharma, big banks, but most of all, most of all my fellow
Democrats, he is fighting for himself. This November, we need to keep Democrats in office
and elect Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz so we can implement an agenda that works for everyone.
And with that, on behalf of the platform committee, we are pleased to move the adoption of the 2024
Democratic National Platform. Thank you. The co-chairs have moved approval
and national platform. Is there a second? We have a second. I will now call for a voice
vote to approve the platform as recommended by the platform committee. All those in favor of
approving the platform, please say aye. All the co-chairs, I am pleased to report for the record
that with a majority of the delegates have been voted in the affirmative, the platform has been
adopted. Once again, thank you to our platform committee co-chairs and members,
as well as a platform drafting committee and as chair, Louisa Terrell.
When Kamala Harris set out to find her vice president just one month ago, she was looking for
someone who believes in our democracy, who works hard for the American people and has an
endless supply of hope for our future. She found that in vice president Tim Waltz. Come on, give
it up for vice, give it up. On August 6th, the Democratic Party officially nominated
Governor Wals as our vice presidential candidate. While Governor Wals' nomination has already been
certified, we couldn't miss the opportunities to celebrate this future vice president's integrity,
commitment, decency and service to our nation. The chair will entertain a motion to ceremonially
confirm Governor Wals' selection as the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee.
We have a motion. Is there a second? We have a second. We will now have a voice vote on the
motion to ceremonially confirm our vice presidential nominee. All in favor of the motion, please proudly
say aye. All opposed? The ayes heaven. I'm thrilled to proudly reaffirm Tim Wals as our
Democratic nominee for vice president.
Yes, yes, USA. Pursuant to our convention rules, Governor Wals has been invited to make an
accepted speech which he will deliver on Wednesday, August 21st. Thank you, my friends. Delegates,
please welcome to the stage co-chair Peggy Flanagan to resume chairing our convention.
Thank you. Thank you. Well, good evening and welcome to the first night of the Democratic
National Convention. I'm Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota and I am thrilled to be
here in Chicago with Democrats from across the country to rally around Kamala Harris and Tim
Wals and their vision for America. It's been eight years since we last came together as a party and
I can feel the excitement in this arena. It's filled with energy and with joy. Our theme tonight
is for the people. We'll hear from union leaders, civil rights advocates and our fellow citizens.
And we'll hear from our president Joe Biden, who has been a champion for the people for his entire
life. My name, my name in the Ojibwe language is Gijiwewedam Uquay or in English speaks with
a clear and loud voice woman. I'm a member of the White Earth Nation and my family is the Wolf
Plan and the role of our plan is to ensure that we never leave anyone behind. That's why I am
supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Wals to be the next president and vice president of the United
States. For almost six years, I've worked side by side with Governor Wals. I've seen how hard he's
worked for Minnesota to be the best place for kids to grow up. He does it all with a big heart,
a buffalo plaid jacket and a bottomless bag of snacks, nutter butters, cheese curds and diet do.
Every time we meet, he brings something for me because he's always got my back and when he's vice
president, he will always have yours. He and Kamala Harris have spent their lives fighting for you,
for your family, for your future. So whether you're a Lifeline Democrat or just tuning in,
thank you for being part of this evening.
Four years ago, the COVID pandemic upended our lives. My brother Ron
was the second person to die of COVID in the state of Tennessee. We couldn't see him. We couldn't
have a memorial and millions of American families went through the same thing. Our communities were
suffering. Our economy was struggling and Donald Trump was playing games. Our country was brought
to the brink by his failure to respond. But the Biden-Harris administration stepped in with
quick and decisive action. They contained the virus, created millions of jobs and invested in our
nation's future. Under their leadership, America began to heal.
How are the words about a pandemic at this point?
Oh, we're not at all. We have it totally under control.
We think we have it very well under control. We pretty much shut it down. A lot of people think
that goes away in April with the heat. We're in very good shape because of all we've done,
the risk to the American people remains very low. View this the same as the flu.
It's going to disappear one day. It's like a miracle. It will disappear. We all together have
done a very good job. We think the death will be at a very low number.
I see the disinfectant. Is there a way we can do something like that
by injection inside or almost a cleaning? I'm decadent. I drop seed to work.
When? Right now, yeah. You can test too much. You do know that. Who says that?
Just read the manuals. Read the book. Manual. Read the book. I think it's under control. I'll
tell you what. How? A thousand Americans are dying a day. They are dying. That's true.
It is what it is. Health is on the way and it is long overdue. The $1.9 trillion
COVID relief bill to get stimulus aid directly to struggling Americans. Our plan is about what
we need to do around a national strategy for contact tracing for testing for administration
of the vaccine and making sure that it will be free for all. Tonight, the U.S. is nearing a
major milestone in the fight against a coronavirus. The U.S. is about to deliver the 200th million
COVID shots since President Biden took office, beating his target by about a week. Millions of
American students returned to school earlier this month after more than a year of remote learning.
Sports venues are filling up and concerts are getting scheduled. I'm feeling great. Business
is definitely ramped up. I'm so thankful to be able to serve our customers again. After all this,
it's a blessing.
Please welcome Illinois Representative Lauren Underwood.
COVID was the worst public health crisis in a century. Donald Trump failed us.
But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris got it under control. Donald Trump said it is what it is.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris said health is on the way.
Democrats in Congress tried to lower the cost of health care. Donald Trump tried to take our
health care away. We tried to expand Social Security and Medicare. Donald Trump tried to cut them
year after year after year. He took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe.
We can never let him be our president again.
As a registered nurse, I care deeply about making health care more affordable.
As someone with a preexisting condition, I am determined to protect the people who are most
at risk. And as the youngest black woman ever elected to Congress,
I am painfully aware that black women, especially pregnant women and new moms,
were more likely to die from COVID. I wrote the mom of us to protect those women and to address
the maternal health crisis. And that bill was introduced and championed by Senator Kamala Harris.
Because she protects the people who are most vulnerable. She's done it for her whole career.
As Vice President, she and President Biden passed my legislation to make health care more
affordable. And now four out of five Americans can get covered through the Affordable Care Act
for $10 or less per month. And under the Biden-Harris administration, the number of uninsured Americans
hit an all-time low. Four years ago, it was not safe to hold a convention like this.
But tonight, thousands have gathered in this arena in my home state of Illinois to make sure
Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States.
We have come so far these past four years and we're not going back.
Thank you.
My name is Rich Logis. I live in Florida. And until two years ago, I was a full-fledged
member of MAGA. I believe Trump. I was a MAGA pundit. I had my own podcast. I was in a state of panic.
Terrified Democrats were destroying our country. When the pandemic hit, we needed leadership,
but we were given almost nothing. It was a major betrayal to the country.
So I finally stepped outside the MAGA echo chamber and stopped listening to what Trump said and
looked around with my own eyes. And I realized he had been lying about pretty much everything.
Lying is Trump's toxic superpower. He's ripped apart families, communities, or whole country.
So this is my message to all the Republicans and independents who are watching. People like me,
voted for, who believed in Trump. I made a grave mistake, but it's never too late to change your
mind. You don't need to agree with everything you hear tonight to do what is right. You need to
be able to trust our leaders. That's why I'm all in for Kamala Harris.
Please welcome California Representative Robert Garcia.
Thank you. Thank you.
We all remember the world in 2020 where we were and for some of us who we lost.
Now, I was in my second term as mayor of Long Beach, California.
And my mom was a healthcare worker. Like many of you, I watched in terror and horror
as the COVID pandemic consumed our lives. As mayor, I fought from her hospital beds for more tests
and to make masks more accessible. What we needed at that moment was national leadership.
But instead, we got Donald Trump.
While schools closed and dead bodies filled morgues, Donald Trump downplayed the virus.
He told us to inject bleach into our bodies. He peddled conspiracy theories across the country.
We lost hundreds of thousands of Americans and our economy collapsed.
Now that summer of 2020, my mom and my stepfather both died of the COVID pandemic.
And I miss them every single day.
So when Donald Trump and his MAGA extremists, like Marjorie Taylor Greene downplayed the
horror of the pandemic, it should make us all furious.
Now, I will never forget when Kamala Harris called me after my parents died.
She told me about her own story, about losing her own mother, and that she was praying for me
at that very moment. Now, we all know that later that year, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
were elected president and vice president.
And what a difference they made together. They got people vaccinated.
They got the virus under control. They safely reopened our schools, and they passed the American
Rescue Plan. A historic economic package that helped small businesses and created jobs
all across the country. Thank you, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Now, I am a proud immigrant who came to the United States as a young child.
We grew up poor, English was our second language, and we often, like many immigrant families,
struggled to get by. But my mom, she moved here to the United States because she believed in the
American dream. I'll never forget the day that I became a United States citizen.
I raised my right hand, and I pledged an oath to protect and to love this country.
It was the proudest day of my life.
My mom, my mom taught me to love this country. She taught me that real American patriotism is
not about screaming and yelling America first. Real American patriotism is loving your country
so much that you want to help the people in your country. That is American patriotism.
And we all know that Kamala Harris understands and knows this as well.
Kamala Harris is ready to lead this country.
We can all remember 2020. We can all remember the horrors of Donald Trump.
But let's remember, most importantly, tonight and every single day this week, that we are not
going back. Thank you.
Hey everyone, I'm Ryan from Kamala HQ. We have a little game we like to play here called Two Lies
and a Lie. We list out three things Donald Trump has said, and then we try to figure out if any
one of them is true, which they're not. Let's play.
First up, Jobs. Trump claims his administration created more jobs than we ever had before.
He says we had the greatest economy ever, and then we got hit with COVID, and he says he created a
manufacturing jobs miracle. Let's dig in. More jobs than we ever had before. Trump lost three
million jobs. In fact, he's the first president to lose jobs since Herbert Hoover. What about this
claim that it was the greatest economy ever, and only COVID taped it? Once again, no.
Let's take a look at his track record on jobs before COVID, as compared to the Biden Harris
administration's. What do you know, hardly the most successful ever, and about his supposed
manufacturing miracle, Trump talked a big game, but actually lost 178,000 manufacturing jobs.
And just to be clear, it wasn't just COVID here either. Manufacturing jobs were already on their
way down before the pandemic. So that's wrong one. And it looks like what we have here is two
lies and another lie. You hit the hang of it. I'll see y'all in a little bit.
Donald Trump downplayed COVID while Americans were living in fear. He lied about creating jobs
while our communities were fighting to survive. But the Biden Harris administration stepped up.
They actually took decisive action to create jobs, support small businesses, and rebuild a
stronger and more resilient economy. Kamala Harris is a leader we can trust, even in our most
challenging moments, especially in those moments. Donald Trump dithers. Kamala Harris delivers.
Donald Trump abandons vulnerable people. Kamala Harris protects them. Donald Trump bullies
scientists. Kamala Harris believes them. Our next two speakers will tell us why that's so important.
Please welcome Brian Wallach and Sandra Abravaya.
In 2008, we met while working on the Obama Biden campaign.
We found our way there because we believe in the power of organizing.
Then we found each other.
The day we brought our second daughter home from the hospital, Brian was diagnosed with ALS.
I was told I had six months to live. That was seven years ago.
We could not change Brian's diagnosis. But we knew how to organize so we co-founded a non-profit
called IM ALS, and thousands of terminally ill patients fought for new therapies,
one billion dollars to fund ALS research, and earlier access to treatments, all of which President
Biden signed into law.
We will also keep fighting alongside patients living with Parkinson's,
young onset dementia, and Alzheimer's.
We've seen just how relentless activism can beat the odds, just like what Brian has been doing
for seven years. And that is what we need right now to elect Kamala Harris. She's the daughter
of a breast cancer researcher. She knows the promise of science and that patients need to be
able to get the care they need wherever they live. We all want to make life better for the next
generation and believe that people like Brian can be the first generation of survivors.
And we can make life better for our caregivers too.
Brian and I are still driven by hope and by faith in what we can do collectively,
and that includes the power of our vote. This November, we are voting for our future.
Because we plan to be around for it.
Please welcome Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.
I've known Brian and Sandra for years. In fact, Sandra was my personal press secretary.
You will not find a more courageous couple. Let's give Brian and Sandra another round of applause.
In every election campaign, we Democrats talk about jobs. Now, forget for a moment Donald Trump's
wild claims. He lost millions of jobs in America. He promised to bring back manufacturing jobs,
but he failed. He promised to deliver infrastructure, but he failed. His record was defined by failure.
To put it another way, Donald Trump is like a bad boss. You want time off to take care of your
sick parents? Ask Donald Trump denied. In Donald Trump's America, there is no paid family leave.
Want to have a child, but need IVF? Too bad. That's shut down too. Want to pay raise? Too bad.
The boss just gave himself one, so there's nothing left for you. Donald Trump reminds us of a boss
we all had. The guy who thinks he's a very stable genius, but is driving the company into the ground.
Now, get this. Donald Trump did make history. Let's give him credit. He is one of only two
presidents in the history of the United States to leave office with fewer Americans working than
when he started. Now, he wants a chance to make America unemployed again. On the other hand,
let's take a look at the record of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They recovered all those
millions of jobs that Trump watched slip away. They added over six million jobs on top of that.
Sixteen million jobs in total. Sixteen million.
Today, more roads are getting fixed. More factories are being built. More Americans are
working construction. And more auto workers are making cars than on any month when Trump was
president. And we know behind every job is a person or community forever changed. Data centers
in Wisconsin, semiconductors in Pennsylvania, electric vehicles in Michigan.
These investments mean strong economy, growing public schools, and well-funded, well-staffed
first responders. These investments mean hope. That's what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were
fighting for. They'll fight for the places that are too often left behind.
Fight to change lives and uplift communities. Fight to bring back American manufacturing.
My friend, Ed Smith, a giant of the Illinois laborers, was a great fellow. We lost him this year.
But Ed Smith told us there's joy in this battle when we win, we help people,
buy their first homes, send their kids to college, and retire with dignity.
Incidentally, that happens to be my family's story, too. My mom and dad worked for the railroad
because we were a strong union family. We were not just to get by but to get ahead.
That's the American economy Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for. Let's join that fight
and build it together.
Now, let's hear from some union workers on the ground in Arizona. Thanks to the Biden-Harris
administration investment in America. Welcome to Phoenix. Donald Trump said he'd bring back American
manufacturing, but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris actually did it. Thanks to them, plumbers and
pipefitters like us are building the factory semiconductor plants and data centers of the future.
We are hard at work. Phoenix, Mesa, Goodyear, Chandler, and more.
Our neighborhoods, schools, and local businesses are growing. Sometimes,