WASHINGTON — At the Democratic National Convention, many women from Wisconsin said they’re all-in on Vice President Kamala Harris.
“For the first time, an African American woman will be on the ticket to be the President of the United States of America. Young men and women all over the world will now see of the possibilities,” said delegate Thelma A. Sias. “They will see the light in all of the darkness around them, that with hard work, skill and fighting for cause and believing in what you stand for and standing straight all the time, there can be great results that happen.”
Harris will be the convention’s final speaker, with a political mandate to tell voters more about who she is and what she stands for while accepting the Democratic nomination for president.
“This is a really big moment, and I'm excited to be here and be a part of it,” said Josefine Jaynes, a representative for the DNC standing credential committee.
Sias said the anticipation began building when President Joe Biden made the decision to end his re-election campaign and support Harris to take his place as the party’s nominee.
“What it has done for the party, and I'm confident it will do for the entire country: Get us all worked up, excited, involved and engaged in passing the baton to the next generation of extraordinary leaders that will make this country even greater than it's ever been before,” Sias said.
The women shared what they hope Harris will say on the big stage.
“I'd like for her to reaffirm her commitment to helping cities build housing, because that's what we need,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, D-Madison. “I also want to hear about what she and Governor Walz are going to do on the economy, and how they're going to continue the incredible record of job creation that the Biden Harris administration has. And the third thing I'm interested in is climate change, and making sure that the work that the Biden-Harris administration has done on climate continues forward into a Harris-Walz administration.”
“Her commitment for betterment for others, her commitment for the ability for us all to be looked at with dignity and respect, and clearly laying out her roadmap about how she will lead a nation,” Sias added.
Wisconsin’s highest elected woman, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, is also scheduled to address the convention on Thursday.