08/27/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 08:29
The Democratic National Convention excited Democrats of all ages - from over 900 young delegates to the hundreds of content creators and student journalists in attendance. These young Democrats, who are working to mobilize all generations, showed their unwavering support for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. Alongside them, delegates as old as 95 returned to their communities from Chicago as they united behind Vice President Harris' vision for our country. Democrats of all identities, ages, and walks of life proved that Americans of every background are ready to organize to elect Vice President Harris this November.
Democrats from across generations are energized like never before to mobilize their communities in support of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.
Associated Press: From the youngest to the oldest, delegates share their excitement for Harris-Waltz ticket at the DNC
Key Point: "Kathryn Prather: 'I'm 18 years old, and I am the youngest delegate from West Virginia. I'm suited up and ready for battle because I will not let my freedoms and my future be taken away by Donald Trump.'"
ABC News: Meet the 95-year-old delegate who has been to every DNC since Carter
Key Point: "On Kamala Harris potentially becoming the first female President, Angie Gialloreto: 'Oh it's exciting! This is reality - it's finally happening! We women have taken the backseat for many years, and now we'll have a leader."
Good Morning America: Meet the oldest DNC delegate, Angie Gialloreto
Key Point: "The Pennsylvania native told ABC News the possibility that Harris could become the first woman to serve as president was a long time coming because women 'have taken a back seat many years and now we'll have a leader.'"
The Citizens' Voice: Oldest delegate at DNC hasn't missed a convention since 1976
Key Point: "75 years separates Ellie Goluboff-Schragger and Angie Gialloreto, the youngest and oldest Pennsylvania delegates.
"'When I see these people, they're my family,' Gialloreto said.
"The 95-year-old started with Jimmy Carter in 1976 and hasn't missed a convention. She's the oldest at the DNC…
"However, for her, Harris offers renewed hope for this election and a new T-shirt. One with Kamala Harris.
"'I love her with no reservation. She's intelligent, she's kind, she's very favorable, and I think she's going to be good,' she said."
Mother Jones: Meet the Oldest Delegate at the DNC
Key Point: "Angie, who has been a Pittsburgh-area party official for more than six decades, is there as the convention's oldest delegate. She's 95 now, and says she's most excited about young people getting their start in politics, like she did as a 15 year old growing up in Pennsylvania…
"After eighty years in the fray, Angie is urging a new generation to step up. 'It's time young people should have the voice and daggonit, they better have the opportunity to express it,' she says. 'There's been this closed door thing. 'Oh, you're too young.' No! Do it. Express yourself. Let people know what you want and how you feel.'"
MSNBC: Oldest DNC Delegate tells Harris: 'Go Girl!'
Key Point: Angie Gialloreto: "Each one [DNCC] has been so exciting, but this one especially - it's for women, it's for everyone. It's something that I can't explain. I feel like the world is opening up to everybody: every color, every creed, and every woman… Go girl [Harris]! Go get 'em! I'm ready to go with you."
Axios: Homework is on hold for Christian Pearson, 18-year-old DNC delegate from Ohio
Key Point: "Christian Pearson recently began his senior year at Marion Harding High School, but he's spending this week in Chicago as an Ohio delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
"Why it matters: The 18-year-old is one of the youngest delegates in the country, representing a generation energized by Vice President Kamala Harris' position at the top of the Democratic ticket."
Reckon: 3 generations, 1 party: How Clinton, AOC and Gen Z are reshaping the DNC
Key Point: "In a symbolic moment nodding to the party's past, and looking towards the future, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last night featured an array of political figures illustrating America's journey…
"Clinton's speech wove a tapestry of women's leadership in the Democratic Party, from Shirley Chisholm's groundbreaking presidential run as the first Black woman in Congress to Geraldine Ferraro's vice-presidential nomination. She referenced mothers and daughters, and painted Harris as the future as she paid homage to women's role in the party."
Associated Press: 'It's our time': As Harris accepts the nomination, many women say a female president is long overdue
Key Point: "Gialloreto said she was disappointed by Clinton's loss eight years ago, but she's excited with Harris in place to try again. 'It's time,' she said from the convention hall. Gialloreto has attended every Democratic convention since Jimmy Carter was nominated for president in 1976. She said it's an exciting time, 'not for me, I've lived my life - for the short time I have, I'm going to celebrate - but it's the young ones.'"
New York Times: Three Delegates, Decades Apart in Age, Converge at the Democratic National Convention
Key Point: "Among the nearly 4,700 delegates gathered in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention: United States senators and representatives. Top state officials. Leaders of major advocacy groups and labor unions. Democrats aspiring to become one or more of the above.
"And hundreds of people with full-time jobs unrelated to politics, known only within their communities for the political work they do in their spare time.
"The youngest delegates are teenagers attending their first convention before they have even voted in their first general election. The oldest have well over a dozen conventions under their belts."
Teen Vogue: Young DNC Attendees, Delegates on Kamala Harris, 2024, and Behind the Scenes of the Convention
Key Point: On how she feels about the upcoming election, Jonnika Kwon: "'Super excited! I think I speak for a lot of young people in saying that we truly feel like, in Vice President Harris, we have a candidate who represents us, who understands us. And that's something really important, to have constituents, young people, all different identity groups feel like they have a representative in government - even better, the President of the United States - who truly cares about them and understands their experiences.
"Rohana [Joshi]: 'This election really represents hope, rather than fear. We really do see progress on the ballot this year. … The next president is [likely] going to be picking the next three to four Supreme Court justices who will be serving for, at least, probably a decade. And this really determines the course of life for generations."
Democrats reflecting the diversity and strength of our party gathered at the Democratic National Convention to enthusiastically voice their support for Vice President Harris:
Key Point: "'I have the same feeling today as I had back then. I'm excited about what's going on. Hopefully it will continue to make change for the future and make a legacy for all of us,' Roby told Variety as she and Stickney walked the corridors of the United Center, where the DNC will take place Aug. 19-22.
"'I just didn't know which way we were going to turn [in 2024], and I just said, 'I'm going to just keep my faith.' So I kept my faith. Even with the civil rights movement back in the '60s, it was a spiritual movement, and I feel that spirit here today,' she said.
"Roby is but one example of thousands of Black female activists, advocates, legislators, public servants and other professionals who came to Chicago to watch Harris start the final push to achieve a level of gender parity that for so long has seemed out of reach for any woman. The racist and sexist insults that President Donald Trump has hurled at Harris in recent days is only deepening the resolve to help Harris punch through that final ceiling."
Florida Phoenix: Asian American Democratic caucus celebrates Harris' rise as they fight for a place in politics
Key Point: "'It is astonishing to me that we characterize her easily as the first Black woman president. A lot of times, the South Asian part, the Asian American part, gets left off the list,' Wong said. 'And we really need to own it, and we need to be really proud of it, and we need to perpetuate it and remind people that that is … an incredible thing. And I think in our kind of non-confrontational Asian Americanness, we kind of like let it slide a little bit, but let's really lean into it.'
"'When we elect Kamala Harris as president of the United States, we're going to show that this country is a multiracial democracy where it doesn't matter how long your lineage is, you can be American. Everyone can be American.'"
Politico: In Tim Walz, Black women see the 'right white man' for VP
Key Point: "When Tim Walz addresses the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, Kamala Harris' new running mate will mark a milestone: Never has America seen a white man serve as cheerleader and chief promoter of a Black woman at this level of politics before.
"And as delegates gathered here before his speech, one significant part of the Democratic Party's base - Black women - said it was about time.
"'He is the right white man for the job,' said Brenda Coles, a Richmond, Virginia-based activist who has been working 40 years to help elect Democrats.
"Coles, donning a 'Win With Black Women' pen on the collar of her dress, said she appreciates that Walz, the Minnesota governor, does not appear intimidated by being a subordinate to 'a Black woman with the caliber' of Harris."
USA Today: Maria Teresa Kumar spoke at the 2024 DNC
Key Point: "During Kumar's speech she said more Latinos will vote in this upcoming election than any other in history.
"'Latinos have become eligible to vote this election. And I couldn't be prouder, because we are registering the faster than any time in our history. This year, we will prove it again with Latinos vote,' Kumar said. 'Together, we will make history and elect Kamala Harris as president.'
"Latinos are set to be a key voting bloc in the election and Harris has seen a groundswell of support from the demographic."
Maine Morning Star: LGBTQ Dems stress importance of representation, allyship in Harris-Walz ticket
Key Point: "The DNC has featured several LGBTQ speakers who, like McBride and Drew, are breaking barriers by assuming leadership roles and who have pledged on the national stage to advance and defend LGBTQ rights, which have seen unprecedented attacks in recent years.
"These speakers have also emphasized the allyship exemplified by their party's presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as a key strength of the ticket."
DTN: Fired Up, Democrats See Road to White House 'Runs Through Rural'
Key Point: "A large crowd of rural delegates and activists showed up at the Democratic National Convention Rural Council meeting to express enthusiasm for the ticket of Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and to get campaign lessons from successful and unsuccessful Democratic candidates for office in rural states and the rural areas of urban-dominated states.
"They heard new lines to convince rural Americans to vote for Harris and Walz - or not to vote for former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican candidates for president and vice president."