Mah
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Theresa Mah knows firsthand how a barrier-breaking candidacy can galvanize an electorate.
In 2016, the Chicago Democrat became the first Asian American ever elected to serve in the Illinois legislature. In doing so, she quintupled turnout among the quarter of her district that is Asian American — a group that previously voted at an “abysmal” rate.
“People want to have a role in making history,” Mah said. “And when they see how much is at stake, they’re going to turn out to vote.”
Mah added that if voters “can relate to you and they see themselves in your candidacy, which I think a lot of people do with Vice President Kamala Harris, I think that that’s a formula to get people excited and out to vote.”
Harris
BRYNN ANDERSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mah and other Illinois elected officials who have shattered their own glass ceilings said they are excited to do so once again next week with Harris’ formal acceptance of the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at its convention in Chicago.
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Harris is the first Black woman and Asian American ever nominated for president by a major political party. Democratic delegates already cast their ballots for her in a virtual roll call earlier this month. She would be the first woman ever elected president if she wins in November.
Turner
State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, who in 2022 became the first Black person elected to represent Sangamon and Macon counties in the state legislature, called Harris’ nomination “a dream come true.”
“The Trump campaign is all doom and gloom and ‘the sky is falling,'” Turner said, “and the Harris campaign is talking about the joy and the excitement and what we can all do in this country, and how (by) coming together and pulling together, we can be greater than ever before.
“And everyone has a seat at the table in order to make that happen.”
Democrats have been riding a wave of momentum since President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid in late July and threw his support behind Harris, who within days had locked up enough support to become the party’s nominee.
Harris’ campaign raised more than $200 million in its first week. Recent polling has suggested a surge in Democratic enthusiasm.
Harris also appears to have closed the gap with former President Donald Trump, with polls showing gains among key demographic groups such as African Americans, Hispanics and young voters.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, the first Black person in her role, said on Wednesday that Harris’ nomination meant a lot to her “not just as a Black woman, but also the mother of four Black daughters.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, center, with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, right, and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, left, stand on stage during a rally at XS Tennis and Education Foundation, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, in Chicago.
MATT MARTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
“I always say you can’t be what you can’t see,” Stratton said. “And this is an opportunity for them and so many other children all across our country to see something they’ve never seen before: a Black woman being the president of the United States, a South Asian woman being president.”
But Stratton also stressed that her support is rooted in more than the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy.
“This is about her being the most qualified person to be president of the United States and the one who can beat Donald Trump,” she said.
Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, has been the subject of attacks centered around her racial identity in recent weeks from Trump and other Republicans.
During an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago earlier this month, Trump falsely claimed that Harris only recently “became a Black person,” suggesting that she leaned into that aspect of her racial identity to gain a political advantage.
Trump allies have also labeled Harris a “DEI” candidate. The acronym stands for “diversity, equity and inclusion,” a label that some opponents have used in a derogatory context to suggest that women and minorities in positions of power may not be qualified.
Such attacks will not distract Harris or her supporters from their ultimate mission, Turner said.
“It’s ugly and it’s demeaning,” Turner said. “But I look at Vice President Harris and how she responds because, as a Black woman, she’s had to deal with that her whole life. And so she’s prepared for that.
“And if you look at the way that she responds, it’s like she’s shaking that off and doing what she needs to do to keep the focus on where she’s trying to go, and that’s to the White House.”
Illinois will be centerstage as both host and as one of the largest delegations at the convention.
The Land of Lincoln will send nearly 200 delegates to the event, which runs Monday through Thursday. Ninety-six divided among the state’s 17 congressional districts were elected by voters during the March primary election. Another 49 were selected by the state party with the designation as an “at-large” delegate or “PLEO,” which stands for party leader or elected official.
The state’s 15 Democratic National Committee members, 14 Democratic members of Congress and Gov. JB Pritzker are all automatic delegates by virtue of their positions.
Twelve alternate delegates will also attend the convention from Illinois.
Official party business will take place over four days at McCormick Place and the United Center in Chicago.
Pritzker is expected to address delegates in a primetime address on Tuesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are also expected to speak.
Chung
Pritzker and his wife, MK, are also hosting a party Tuesday evening at The Salt Shed featuring a performance from John Legend. It will be among many events taking place outside the convention hall next week.
State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, a first-time delegate, said she was excited for the week. She plans to attend several events, especially those centered around the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
“I’m just really excited to be a small part of it,” said Chung, who faces Republican challenger Desi Anderson in November. “And I think that for us here in the Illinois delegation, the Asian delegation members are all really excited. We have a T-shirt that we got made.
“And, of course, since we’re going up to Chicago, we’re really trying to showcase the city and put the best foot forward.”
Budzinski
Among those energized by the Harris-Walz ticket is U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Springfield, the first Democratic woman to represent portions of Metro East and Southern Illinois in Congress. She is seeking a second term in the November election, when she faces Republican Joshua Loyd of Virden.
While attending Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday, Budzinski was sporting a pin that said, “I believe that she will win.”
She got it while working on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign against Trump.
“I’m now wearing it again,” she said, “because I believe we’re going to break that final glass ceiling, and we’re going to elect our first woman president in November.”
Contact Brenden Moore at brenden.moore@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13
“People want to have a role in making history. And when they see how much is at stake, they’re going to turn out to vote.”
— State Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago
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Publish date : 2024-08-16 23:24:00
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