The Democratic National Convention in Chicago kicked off on Monday August 19 with huge crowds and the biggest delegation, some 500 strong, hails from California.
The group is especially enthusiastic about nominee Kamala Harris, since she served the people of the Golden State for decades as district attorney in San Francisco, state Attorney General and then U.S. Senator before becoming vice president.
Rusty Hicks, chair of the California delegation, talked about the historic nature of the convention.
“It’s an opportunity for Democrats across the country to come together to get ready to help elect the first Black-South Asian woman President of the United States,” Hicks pointed out. “Especially being from California, it’s a special night in so many ways.”
Hicks noted California has been a leader on many issues that are being highlighted at the convention, including reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, the fight against poverty and the role new immigrants play in keeping the economy strong.
Even though California is traditionally a blue state, all but certain to send its electoral votes to Harris in November, Hicks stressed the real battle is to take back control of Congress.
“In order to retake the House of Representatives, we’ve got to win seats in California and those seats will be won by a handful of votes,” Hicks predicted. “The work that we’ve been doing on the ground has been focused on winning close, tough elections.”
Early voting in California is about six weeks away. The first ballots will be mailed on Oct. 7.
