A Democratic convention keynote speech catapulted a U.S. Senate candidate from Illinois into the national consciousness.
Sixteen years after former President Barack Obama addressed Democrats in Boston, the party on Tuesday elevated 17 emerging leaders from across the country at the 2020 quadrennial event.
The group included 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, who lost her race but was later considered by 2020 Democratic standard-bearer Joe Biden as a potential running mate.
Abrams, a former Georgia House of Representatives minority leader and voting rights advocate, was joined by other Democratic officials, diverse in background and thought.
“Faced with a president of cowardice, Joe Biden is a man of proven courage. He will restore our moral compass by confronting our challenges, not by hiding from them or undermining our elections to keep his job,” she said.
Abrams added, “In a democracy, we do not elect saviors. We cast our ballots for those who see our struggle and pledge to serve.”
Reps. Colin Allred of Texas, a former NFL player and civil rights attorney, as well as Brendan Boyle and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, were all featured in the eight-minute video. The trio face competitive reelection campaigns in their crucial battleground states on Nov. 3.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, the only Democrat who holds statewide office in President Trump’s must-win Florida, also had a spot in the segment.
The decision to emphasize the Democratic bench’s depth of talent reflects how even Biden, who could be the oldest president in history to take office next year, refers to himself as a “bridge” to the party’s future.
For Joe Solmonese, CEO of the convention, the unique keynote was part of the party’s broader effort to focus “on finding new and innovative ways to engage more Americans than ever before.”
“The convention keynote has always been the bellwether for the future of our party and our nation, and when Americans tune in next week, they’ll find the smart, steady leadership we need to meet this critical moment,” he said.
