NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – High-ranking figures from Louisiana are among the thousands of attendees at the Democratic National Convention, which began in Chicago on Monday (August 19).
They praise President Joe Biden for his accomplishments while strongly supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the party’s presidential nominee after Biden abandoned his bid for re-election last month.
Former Congressman Cedric Richmond of New Orleans, co-chair of Harris’ presidential campaign, said: “I know Vice President Harris. I know when Joe Biden chose her as his running mate. I was by her side when she fought for the American people in the White House. I had the honor of seeing her at work up close. And what I’ve seen from her is not just a candidate ready to lead, but a candidate ready to win.”
Harris has already received her party’s nomination virtually to meet Ohio’s voting deadline, but a ceremonial vote by state will take place at the party’s convention this week.
“It will be a very emotional and exciting moment for us when we announce that all 53 Louisiana votes will go to our candidate Kamala Harris to become the next President of the United States of America,” said U.S. Representative Troy Carter of New Orleans.
For New Orleans state representative Delisha Boyd, this party convention is a first.
“It’s electrifying. In fact, it’s my first year at a DNC. The energy is at 1,000,” Boyd said.
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Carter says Harris is qualified to be president.
“I ask anyone how anyone could be better prepared,” Carter said. “How can anyone have a greater intellect and a more comprehensive understanding of all the issues than someone who was at the table with the president when all of these monumental bills were drafted and ultimately passed by the Congress that I so proudly serve. Kamala Harris is more than ready on day one.”
On the opening night of the convention on Monday, Biden will be honored for, among other things, his decades of public service and his recent decision to abandon his race for re-election after many of his fellow Democrats called on him to withdraw from the race following his poor performance in the debate.
“Given the confusion and controversy surrounding his re-election, he made the ultimate selfless sacrifice of stepping down to do what was best for the country,” Carter said.
Boyd said Biden “should be celebrated.”
“I know a lot of people think he shouldn’t be,” she said. “But I think it took courage to do what he did, which was to step aside and let Vice President Kamala Harris step forward. We should celebrate him.”
Although Louisiana remains firmly in Democratic hands and Trump won the elections in 2016 and 2020, Democrats say they will continue to work hard to get Harris’ supporters to vote.
“I see it’s slowly coming together, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we hold on until November 5,” Boyd said. “I don’t want a repeat of 2016, when the energy was there for the first female president and then something happened in the period after the convention.”
Carter said there will be extensive security measures in place for the Chicago event.
“The security measures are robust,” he said. “Unfortunately, in a society where people turn violent when they disagree with us philosophically, we obviously have to take precautions to be cautious and safe. We saw what happened to the former president and the unfortunate attempt to assassinate him.”
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