CHICAGO (CBS) — The evening before the Democratic National Convention was to begin in Chicago, the city hosted a welcoming party for the thousands of delegates at the Navy Pier Ballroom.
The mood within the party was completely different than it was four weeks ago, when President Biden was still the candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
Security was tight at the ballroom at the easternmost end of Navy Pier on Sunday evening. Several thousand people are expected there for the first official gathering of DNC delegates of this convention. Mayor Brandon Johnson will be present at the event at Navy Pier.
Delegates from Ohio said at the event that the Electoral College maps are changing so much that they believe states that have been reliably red, like Ohio, could still be in play after this DNC week.
“Ohio has been wrongly viewed as a red state. We are a gerrymandered state,” said Ohio State Delegate Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland). “It’s our turn and we’re here to let people know that we’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure we win Ohio.”
“With Kamala Harris, we’re going to get what we didn’t get with Hillary Clinton,” said Meredith Turner, an Ohio delegate and Cuyahoga County councilwoman. “And I’m looking forward not only to Chicago, but to going back home, knocking on doors and getting people to participate. Civic engagement is the most important thing right now.”
Anyone who has ever walked to the end of Navy Pier knows it’s a long walk. Delegates will be taken directly from their hotels to a reception line at the end of Navy Pier to make things easy for them and to ensure that the first event of this busy week runs smoothly.
Illinois delegates now include everyone from the Reverend Jesse Jackson to Star Jones, as well as local mayors and religious leaders. The youngest delegate at the convention is a 19-year-old from North Shore named Claire Satkiewicz.
Chris Tye
