Mark Kelly to speak at the 2024 DNC Convention: Video
U.S. Senator from Arizona Mark Kelly delivers remarks on the fourth night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22, 2024.
In his speech defending veterans, US Representative Ruben Gallego invoked the achievements of the late US Senator John McCain, while recalling the notable attacks on his memory by former President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Kari Lake.
Flanked on the stage by Democrats with military backgrounds, Gallego attacked Trump, made no mention of Lake and was not without shouts of “USA! USA!”
“Politicians like Donald Trump are not on our side,” Gallego said during his five-minute speech to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “They called patriots like Senator McCain ‘losers.’ John McCain was an American hero. Show some respect!”
It was part of a short narrative that traced Gallegos’ roots in Chicago, his time at Harvard University, his service in the Marine Corps in Iraq and the difficult days after his return to the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are committed to providing veterans with the help and opportunities they deserve, he said.
Gallego, who is running for the U.S. Senate, did not mention his Republican opponent Lake.
In her remarks at the Republican National Convention last month, Lake attacked Gallego by name, falsely claiming that he voted to give the millions of people who have poured into our country illegally the opportunity to cast their ballots in this upcoming election.
In contrast, Gallego illuminated a life that began in Chicago, the venue for the convention, with laborious work like making pizza and doing construction work.
“I got into Harvard with no money or connections,” he said. “Other kids were happy because they were at Harvard. I was happy because I finally had a mattress.”
Gallego said veterans like him often struggled when they returned from the Iraq War. In Harris and Walz, they found reliable allies, Gallego said, before turning to allegations of offensive comments attributed to Trump.
“Vice President Harris has always stood up for us and our families,” Gallego said. “Tim Walz served for 24 years. His passion for veterans earned him respect on both sides of the aisle, and he stands with us, too.”
As his fellow Democratic veterans gathered around him, Gallego declared, “For us, the country is more important than politics.”
In contrast, Gallego said, Trump’s allies who drafted “Project 2025” – a voluminous document that Democrats say is Trump’s blueprint for his second term – called for an agenda that includes cuts to veterans’ benefits and the closure of veterans’ hospitals.
“Don’t just respect our service, honor it,” he said.
In a social media post after Gallego’s speech, Lake said she looked forward to debating with Gallego to highlight “the contrast between common sense and radicalism.”
She said she would look him in the eye and tell him what she thought about his policies, and then made a comment that appeared to refer to his height.
“To achieve this, I cannot wear heels,” Lake wrote.
Lake’s comments about Gallego in July distorted a Republican-sponsored proof-of-citizenship bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is expected to fail in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The bill embarrassed Democrats about restricting voting eligibility while raising the threat of illegal immigration.
Gallego and Lake are running to succeed outgoing U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona).
