Philadelphia Councilman Nicolas O’Rourke will give the progressive response to President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address on behalf of the Working Families Party, one of the first times a noncongressional speaker will deliver the rebuttal.
The Working Families Party’s selection of O’Rourke signals the third party is searching for up-and-coming lawmakers to serve as their national representative for the progressive movement. The party has not endorsed Biden for the 2024 election despite endorsing him in 2020 but has adamantly opposed former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican nominee.
“Nicolas will bring all his moral clarity and strategic vision to this speech,” the Working Families Party’s national director, Maurice Mitchell, said in a statement. “Just like in 2020, winning states like Pennsylvania will mean really understanding what matters to working people in cities like Philadelphia. Anyone who wants to stop the MAGA movement in its tracks should listen to Nicolas closely.”
O’Rourke shifted into the spotlight last year after winning his bid for council as a member of the Working Families Party, one of two seats held by the party after ousting the Republicans who had held those seats for over 70 years. The other Working Families Party councilmember elected last year is Kendra Brooks, who became the first third-party candidate in decades to secure a seat on the city council following her win in 2020.
As he prepares to deliver the party’s seventh progressive response to the State of the Union, O’Rourke said in a statement that it is an “honor” to be selected.
“I hope to give voice to the working people in Philadelphia and around the country who want a better life for themselves and a brighter future for the next generation,” O’Rourke said. “Together, we can ensure that everyone who calls this country home, no matter your race or place, can earn a good living and have a good life — with the education and healthcare, housing and jobs that every family needs.”
O’Rourke is known for emceeing a counter-protest to pro-Trump allies demonstrating outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 2020 where election workers were counting Philadelphia’s ballots. City officials had praised O’Rourke and the Working Families Party for turning the events into a dance party and preventing any displays of political violence.
The councilman will likely praise Biden in some areas, such as economic policy and his green energy agenda. However, the president will likely face severe backlash from O’Rourke for his support of Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza strip, a choice that caused progressives, Muslim Americans, and Palestinian allies to push the “uncommitted” movement forward in Michigan and other key Super Tuesday primary states.
In the past, the Working Families Party has selected progressive Democrats to deliver the party’s response, so O’Rourke’s selection is the first time in years that a nonmember of Congress has been slated to deliver the address.
In 2022, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) delivered the progressives’ response to Biden’s State of the Union. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has blasted the president and members of the Democratic Party for supporting Israel and repeatedly calls for a ceasefire in a war that has cost thousands of Palestinian lives.
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Last year, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) delivered the address, and other progressive Democrats like Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) have given a speech on behalf of the Working Families Party in the past.
Biden’s State of the Union address will take place on March 7, followed by the progressive response and the Republican rebuttal, which will be delivered by Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL).
