MILWAUKEE — As the Democratic National Convention begins, Craig Mastantuono, a criminal defense attorney from Milwaukee, is preparing to represent Wisconsin on the national stage.

Although this is not his first convention, Mastantuono said he expects this year’s event in Chicago to be markedly different from those that he’s attended in the past.

“It’s not my first convention, but every convention has a different look,” Mastantuono said. “I think this one is going to be decidedly younger, very enthusiastic and having a recent kind of jumpstart with the new candidate, the vice president, the excitement will be great.”

Mastantuono said he anticipates that what will set this year’s Democratic National Convention apart — particularly from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — is the presence of former presidents and past nominees on the stage.

“The Democratic Party is going to be the opposite of that,” Mastantuono said. “We are going to honor past presidents like Barack Obama, past nominees like Hillary Clinton. They’ll be on the stage welcoming in our candidate and a deep bench of young leadership is going to be present and on the stage, speaking.”

Mastantuono’s connection to Vice President Kamala Harris runs deeper than their shared background in law.

“I’m the son and grandson of immigrants,” he said. “My mother is from Mexico. My father’s parents were from Italy, and so Kamala Harris looks like the immigrant experience, which is the American experience.”

With Wisconsin poised as a crucial battleground state, Mastantuono said the attention on the state will be intense in the lead-up to November’s election.

“Our state is going to get a lot of attention,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of candidate visits between now and November. So is Michigan. So is Pennsylvania. The attention is just constant and present.”