CHICAGO — Sure, they would have showed up, cheered and put on a brave face for President Joe Biden if he were still the Democratic Party’s nominee.
But Washington’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention are positively pumped up by Vice President Kamala Harris’ ascension to the top of the ticket.
At their opening breakfast Monday at a downtown hotel, delegates sported “Cowboy Kamala” sashes and T-shirts. Later, on the convention floor at the United Center, they wore matching white cowboy hats adorned with flashing lights, modeled on pop star Beyoncé’s smash hit “Cowboy Carter” album.
For now, with less than 80 days before Election Day, they are riding high on the sense that Harris is surging and lighting a path to beat ex-President Donald Trump this fall.
“I am almost giddy and almost tearful at this moment right now because it’s like a breath of fresh air,” said Chris Porter, a delegate from Seattle.
It was a vibe shift from a month ago, when Biden, despite a historically disastrous debate performance, was clinging to his reelection dreams amid dismal polling in a rematch with Trump. “Yeah, the ship was going down,” Porter said.
Republicans — including Washington delegates — emerged from their own convention in Milwaukee last month, fresh off Trump surviving an assassination attempt, fully behind their nominee and confident in his chances of beating a fading Biden.
“There were definitely some people who were gritting their teeth a little bit,” said state Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-West Seattle, who is a delegate. “With Kamala Harris, we’re seeing a level of excitement that was reserved for, like, a Taylor Swift concert.”
Harris will officially accept the party’s nomination Thursday evening.
Not all Washington Democrats were down on Biden’s chances, even after the June 27 debate in which he struggled to coherently answer questions and explain his positions, leading to panicked calls from prominent Democratic elected leaders for him to make way for a new nominee.
“I love Joe Biden. I was for Joe 100%. That lousy debate meant nothing to me,” said Alise Moss Vetica, a delegate from Port Townsend.
Still, as a volunteer manager at the Jefferson County Democrats headquarters, Moss Vetica said she’d seen a surge in enthusiasm — including donations and volunteers walking through the door — since Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee. The mood now, she said, is: “All right people, forget about the debate. We got our candidate. Get behind her. Let’s go!”
As Biden passed the torch to Harris with his convention speech Monday, Washington Democrats praised what they described as Biden’s selfless decision.
“We’re so grateful to President Biden for his lifetime of public service and for making an incredibly difficult decision, but one that I believe — that he believes too — puts us in the best possible position to win in November,” said state Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad.
Like many Democratic elected officials and party leaders, Conrad had not called for Biden to stand down amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity and ability and energy.
“We were standing by President Biden, but we were ready when the switch happened,” Conrad said, noting Washington Democrats were among the first state parties to endorse Harris, saying it was important “that we not overlook the woman of color who had been doing the work … I mean that’s literally why you have a vice president.”
April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council and one of several labor leaders attending the convention, said Harris’ rise has inspired voters, including her 24-year-old daughter, who went from ambivalent to excited about getting involved in the campaign.
“I would have been here supporting Joe Biden, regardless,” said Sims, citing Biden’s record on union issues. “But I think there’s definitely some excitement for me as a Black woman, to have a woman at the top of the ticket that looks like she represents me and my community and I know holds my values.”
Washington’s 100-plus delegation in Chicago is packed with elected officials, with several members of Congress, state legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee attending and mingling with donors and activists.
That’s one big contrast with the state GOP delegation at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, which was virtually bereft of elected Washington Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, is scheduled to speak at the DNC Wednesday in her role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, leading efforts to win back a majority in the House of Representatives.
