Brenda Hoskie, a delegate from New Mexico and a member of the Navajo Nation, is focused on registering people to vote and making sure they vote. She is also the party chair of McKinley County. "Where we live, we are right next door to Arizona," she said. "So I'll be helping out Arizona with Apache County, Navajo County, Coconino County and that area, because our reservation just goes into that."
Just believe that anything you want to do in this world, you can do it. And if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough."
Heather Pirowski, an Indiana delegate and breast cancer survivor, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2020. "I didn't realize that when you have dense breasts, mammograms don't work (and) we need additional diagnostic testing," she said. "When I looked at our legislation in Indiana, we really did not have anything that talked about that. So I formed Hoosier Breast Cancer Advocates, and with a couple other advocate friends, we actually passed legislation that was bipartisan and unanimously voted on."
Saffiyyah Muhammad, a Chicago resident, cried when she learned that Harris would be the Democratic nominee. She has volunteered her time to help support the campaign. "To be a part of this history, it's very exciting — and it's emotional," she said. Muhammad, like Harris, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority.
Jacen Bowman, a delegate from Philadelphia, sees a resurgence of energy and excitement, especially among millennials and Gen Z. "Kamala represents what America looks like," he said. "America is a place that is inclusive. It's about equality. I think it is important that we have a woman commander in chief, especially a Black woman. I haven't seen as much excitement since Obama ran for office."
Jared Schablein, a delegate from Maryland, brought a stuffed muskrat with him to the convention. The muskrat is an animal local to his community on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Princess Anne, Maryland, also hosts a New Year's Eve muskrat drop. Schablein was "incredibly excited" when Harris became the nominee and was happy to be one of the first in Maryland to publicly support her. He was also "over the moon" when Harris selected Walz as her running mate. "Rural America doesn't typically get represented," he said.