Durbin, Underwood, Johnson All Speak on DNC Night One
Sen. Dick Durbin speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Monday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Three top Illinois Democrats made their case for Kamala Harris and against Donald Trump on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Monday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville), and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin all received speaking slots at the DNC Monday.
Johnson opened the evening session of the convention with a full-throated endorsement of Harris.
“What will it take to build the middle class and make it easier for families to not only get by, but to get ahead?,” Johnson asked. “It will take someone with toughness to stand up for us. And let me tell you, America, Kamala’s got it.”
Underwood, a registered nurse, spoke on the Biden-Harris administration’s COVID-19 response and attacked Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
“[Trump] took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe,” Underwood said. “We can never let him be our president again.”
Durbin also used his time to attack Trump’s term in the White House, for job numbers and his handling of the pandemic.
“His record was defined by failure,” Durbin said. “Donald Trump reminds us of a boss we all had. The guy who thinks he’s a “very stable genius” but is driving the company into the ground.”
Durbin said the contrast in the election couldn’t be more clear.
“When we win, we help people [to] buy their first homes, send their kids to college, and retire with dignity,” Durbin said.
Governor JB Pritzker is expected to speak at the convention tonight, along with former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.