Over coffee, bacon and eggs before the convention day really gets started, Colorado delegates are already chewing over their prospects for November.
These loyal party activists are bullish over the new ticket, but they also acknowledge Vice President Kamala Harris faces an uphill battle.
“As Democrats, we’re always the underdogs,” said delegate Polly Baca, a long-time party activist who has attended every Democratic convention since 1964. “We have to keep on working to get every single voter out because sometimes our folks don't feel motivated to come vote. They’ve got to be motivated this year, they’ve got to come to the polls.”
It’s a theme that’s emerging throughout the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: as energized as delegates feel, they’re also worried about the road ahead. And when Harris accepts the party’s nomination Thursday night, many feel she must use her address not only to introduce herself to voters but to present a message that can win them over, especially in battleground states.
Alex Apodaca Cobell, a delegate from Colorado’s toss-up 8th congressional district, said it’s vital Harris define herself.
“A lot of voters are just tuning in, and obviously it's been quite the whirlwind since she entered the race,” he said.
Apodaca Cobell thinks Harris should focus on the future, especially with so many in the country — not just Democrats — eager to move past 2020 and the Joe Biden-Donald Trump dynamic. The message, he said, must be, “‘We're moving into the future and we're not going to keep doing this battle with the same guy over and over and over again because it's not about him.’”
In polling over the election cycle, voters have generally said they trust former President Trump’s handling of the economy above the Democratic ticket. Now, many delegates are eager to hear Harris stake a claim on that issue.
“She has to tell us what she's going to do for us when it comes to the economy,” said state Rep. Junie Joseph. “Because if you cannot feed yourself, you cannot fight for all your own reproductive justice. If you cannot feed yourself, you cannot fight for your neighbor's LGBTQ+ rights. If you cannot feed yourself, chances are you probably don't worry as much when it comes to the environment. So tell me what you're going to do when it comes to the baselines.”
Across the hotel breakfast room, several of the delegation’s younger Democrats want to see Harris reach young voters where they’re at — more TikTok videos! — while offering policies on issues important to them.
Isaiah Cordova, a 4th Congressional District delegate, said that means talking about things like affordable housing and student loan forgiveness.
“All that stuff would definitely be helpful for people my age,” he said. “There's also a lot of young people like me (who) are concerned about Israel-Palestine.”
When it comes to the war there, he wants to hear Harris talk about finding a humanitarian solution.
Colorado delegates also urged Harris to tackle other tough issues, especially ones Republicans will attack her on, like immigration. Baca, the long-time delegate, sees an opportunity there.
“We need comprehensive immigration reform that allows people to work, that allows folks that we need in our economy,” she said. “Because if you go around Denver, there are help wanted signs all over the place and there's these poor folks that are coming in that want to work, but we are not allowing them to work.”
Delegate Kenny Nguyen from the 7th Congressional District wants Harris to touch on another major domestic issue — the political divisions within the country.
“I really want her to speak about how she's going to bridge the huge gaps and divides in our country,” he explained, “I want her to focus on her message to the wider public, as well, because she's going to be an historical figure and I think the energy that she brings is going to be really important.”
But while Harris has the potential to make history as the first woman president, at least one delegate doesn’t think she should lean in on that.
As the longest-serving member of Colorado’s congressional delegation, Rep. Diana DeGette has long been a champion of women in politics. But she says times have changed from when Hillary Clinton last made the attempt to break this final glass ceiling.
“The narrative is we need to elect our sitting vice president,” she said. “It’s not ‘elect Kamala Harris because she’s a woman.’ It’s ‘elect Kamala Harris because she’s the most qualified. She’s going to save democracy and oh, by the way, it will be a first.’”
