MILWAUKEE — The DJ and dancing probably captured most of the attention during the Democratic National Convention’s (DNC) ceremonial roll call earlier this week, so those at home might not have paid much attention to who was steering the entire process.

If people didn’t know the name Jason Rae before Tuesday night, they probably do now. He is not only the secretary of the Democratic National Committee, but a Wisconsin native too. Rae is from Rice Lake but currently lives just outside of Milwaukee with his husband, Phillip.

Rae was at the helm as the Democratic Party turned what is typically a boring procedure into a dance party, which he spoke about Thursday morning when he stopped by the Wisconsin delegation’s breakfast in Chicago.

Admittedly, Rae told delegates he has been hyper-focused on the same six words: How do you cast your votes?

“All I’ve been practicing all week is simply saying ‘How do you cast your votes?’ so that’s all I know right now at this point in time after doing it 57 times,” Rae joked with the crowd.

He also recalled his roots and how he got involved with politics.

“I got my start up in the Barron County Democratic Party when I was just in high school, riding my bike to county party meetings before I could ever vote and drive, getting elected to the DNC when I was just 17,” Rae explained.

Rae is now center stage as the party’s secretary, a role he stepped into in 2017 and was renominated for again in 2021, which means Tuesday night was only his second time reading the roll.

“I’m so honored I get to be a Wisconsin Democrat and so honored to have had the chance on Tuesday to represent our state on the stage as I called the roll,” Rae said. “It was probably the highlight of my life, and I am just so grateful for the chances that I’ve had to serve this party.”

The secretary position is voluntary and not many people have held the position in modern political history. Rae joins some fairly exclusive ranks as only four other people have served in the position since 1944.