CHICAGO (WNDU) – The first night here in Chicago saw a full range of emotions, from exuberance to exhaustion.
From moving speeches to people moved to tears, it was quite a start to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
And it was also a late night for the delegates in attendance, as President Biden finished his speech around 11:30 CDT, when many of them were still asleep.
However, our team had to get up early on Tuesday morning. We were the only local team invited to a breakfast event where several delegations from all over the country were present.
Among them were delegates from South Bend who made the trip. We met with the head of the Indiana delegation, Joe Donnelly, who spoke about this historic week for his party.
“President Biden has had a historic presidency. He has managed to move the country forward in many ways,” Donnelly said. “But what we are seeing now is the excitement for the next generation that is rising up to lead our country.”
We also met some politicians from the region who shared the same enthusiasm as Biden’s vice president prepares to accept his party’s nomination.
“Women have been trying to break the glass ceiling for many, many years, and every time a woman runs for office – whether it’s Shirley Chisholm or Hillary Clinton – we put a pin in the glass,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker. “We hope that this year we can completely break the glass so that other little girls out there – no matter where they come from, no matter what demographic they are – have the opportunity to see for themselves that they too are valuable, that they too are enough, and that they too can lead.”
“Joe Biden said when he ran for president a few years ago that he felt like he was a bridge to the next generation, and I think that’s what you’re seeing now at our convention,” said Mike Schmuhl, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. “I think we’ll look back on this week in Chicago and realize that we’re really passing the torch to a new generation here.”
Joshua Short spoke with other Indiana delegates, including a man from Granger who says he and his wife are both delegates. Josh asked him how they feel after President Biden’s announcement that he is withdrawing, tonight at 6 p.m. on WNDU 16 News Now.
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