The Only Virginian on the DNC Stage; VP Harris Prompts Black Voter Registration Spike; Labor Leaders Speak at DNC as Teamsters' Chief Snubbed
➡️ 9 days until the Bobby Scott Labor Day Cookout in Newport News on Sept. 2
➡️ 17 days until CBC Week in Washington DC on Sept. 11
➡️ 29 days until early voting in Virginia: Sept. 28
➡️ 73 days until Election Day Nov. 5
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Black Voter Registration Spike Seen After Vice President Harris Entered the Race on July 22
Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign is less than 35 days old and with 72 days left to election day there are several signs that point favorably in her direction. The first is the $540 million in fundraising since July 21 when President Biden announced he was exiting the race. The second is a spike in voter registration in Virginia and in other states among two constituencies likely to vote for Democrats: African American and young voters.
Tom Bonier at Target Smart noted an increase today in Black voter registration.
ROANOKE COLLEGE POLL. In a poll by Roanoke College conducted before the DNC Convention in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris is close to event with former president Donald Trump. The poll of likely voters showed that Harris is polling at 47 percent compared to 44 percent for Trump in a direct matchup — that result for Harris is better than President Biden’s polling in Virginia. But the results are well within the margin of error.
Voter registration increases in North Carolina and Pennsylvania since Vice President Harris joined the race for The White House (source: NYTimes):
The Only Virginian on the DNC Convention Stage in Chicago
After a memorable 2016 presidential cycle that featured Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Virginia’s junior U.S. Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine, not too many Virginians were featured at the 2024 DNC Convention in Chicago. The 2016 convention was followed by a subdued 2020 COVID impacted “virtual convention.”
But at the DNC Convention in Chicago one Virginian did make it to center stage: Congressman Bobby Scott.
On Thursday night, August 22, the Democratic National Convention honored veteran lawmakers in the party. The group included the Dean of the Virginia Congressional delegation and over 30 others who have served in the armed forces.
Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego began the tribute by speaking on veteran related policy and priorities — as well as the dangers of Project 2025 — and then introduced the other veterans during his address. Rep. Gallego is running for the U.S. Senate this year in Arizona in what is expected to be a competitive race in a battleground state against Republican Kari Lake.
Rep. Scott can be seen on stage in what may have been the only center-stage visit by a Virginian at the four-day convening. The Congressman’s older brother, the late Charles Waldo Scott, Jr., known to friends as “Scotty,” also served in the U.S. Army and did a tour in Vietnam.
Labor Leaders Spoke at DNC as Teamsters Chief is Snubbed
After Teamsters President Sean O’Brien decided to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee despite the anti-union policies of the GOP, Democrats refrained from having O’Brien speak at the DNC.
They did invite several others to the stage included AFSME chief Lee Saunders, SEIU President April Verrett and Claude Cummings Jr. President of CWA, the Communications Workers of America. Below is a video of the remarks of labor leaders at the DNC Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Though O’Brien’s speech at the RNC Convention did not fully embrace or enforce former President and current GOP nominee Donald Trump, the Teamster leader was confronted by criticism over the appearance by fellow Teamsters.
After speaking at the RNC Convention, O’Brien told Dana Bash on CNN that President Biden, “is definitely the most pro labor President we’ve ever had and ever seen. Your correct, he did fix pensions nationwide not just the Teamsters — but $100 billion — so he has done a lot of work on behalf of the Teamsters Union and we’re very proud of the work that he did. But the reality of it is I represent 1.3 million members, very diverse membership. We’ve got a lot of Republicans. We’ve got a lot of Democrats. We have an obligation to do our due diligence and just not serve one part of our membership.”
RELATED: Biden Devotes $36 Billion to Save Union Workers’ Pensions (NYT, Dec. 8, 2022)
What O’Brien didn’t mention is that the pensions were saves by Democrats with 100 percent Republican opposition in Congress. The effort, led by U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee then-Chairman Bobby Scott in 2022, prevented severe cuts to the retirement incomes of 350,000 Teamsters and retirees.
The Teamsters Chief told Fox News two days ago that, “we have fifty percent or more of our members that are Republicans and I have to represent them as well.”
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