The Democratic National Convention kicked off this week in Chicago, and opening night packed a punch with President Joe Biden delivering a political farewell address.
New Jersey Democratic State Committee chairman LeRoy Jones is one of the state’s delegates who’ve descended on Chicago, and he spoke with NJ Spotlight News Anchor Briana Vannozzi about the convention so far, calling the first night “electric.”
“It was entertaining, it was a breath of hope for our country,” said Jones. “And you couldn’t be in a better place. You couldn’t have been in a better environment that just led to the enthusiasm, the hope and the encouragement for the future of our country.”
“This is about the urgency of now, the moment of now,” he continued. “And we’re going to move forward with that spirit of now, and the enthusiasm that the Democratic Party, not just in New Jersey, but throughout the length and breadth of the country, that has accepted that mantle of leadership. And that spirit of energy and that notion that there is a tomorrow for the United States of America.”
After a lengthy standing ovation from thousands of delegates on the convention floor, Biden ran through a litany of accomplishments from his administration. He went on the attack against the GOP nominee Donald Trump and made the case for the Democratic Party’s new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I love my job, but I love my country more,” he said of his decision to step aside. He called the selection of Harris as his running mate four years ago was “the best decision I made my whole career.” Harris came out after the speech, embracing Biden in an emotional moment.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also took the stage, delivering fiery remarks underscoring the potential for the first female president. She said she wanted her grandchildren and their grandchildren to know she’d been there for Harris when the “glass ceiling” finally shatters.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will help give New Jersey a moment in the spotlight on Wednesday night, when he gavels in the convention as one of the DNC’s four co-chairs.
