At national convention, Democrats pass the torch to a new generation of leaders

CHICAGO — Twenty years after she attended her first party convention, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan stepped onto the main stage of the United Center on Monday, helping to emcee one of the biggest nights in politics as a newly appointed co-chair of the Democratic National Convention.

Flanagan even let her 11-year-old daughter stay up past her bedtime to watch her speak on national television. For the 44-year-old, it was a moment of reflection and gratitude as she considered how far she's come since that first convention.

“It was a really emotional night,” she told USA TODAY.

Flanagan's emerging place on the national stage parallels Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's ascent to the presidential ticket. If that Harris-Walz ticket wins, Flanagan would take over for the rest of Walz’s term, making her the nation's first ever female Native American governor.

This year’s convention was expected to be a celebration of Democratic President Joe Biden, who has been in politics for more than five decades. But after he stepped aside for Vice President Kamala Harris to clinch the nomination, this week's festivities look more like a passing of the torch — a salute to a class of diverse and rising stars, like Flanagan, who are emerging from every across the party.

“I am doing this for all of the rising stars who are watching me,” Flanagan said.

Even as high-profile figures such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders command attention as they took the stage this week in Chicago, convention attendees say they’re just as excited to see the pipeline of up-and-comers poised to rise to the highest levels of politics.

Betsy Wells, a 76-year-old resident of King’s Mountain, North Carolina, is attending her seventh convention and knows from first-hand experience how a good convention speech can catapult a politician’s career.

“When Barack Obama came out and did that famous speech (in 2004), everybody sat up and took notice,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Wow. Wow.’ And so then four years later, he's running for the presidency.”

Today, she’s thrilled to see newer names like Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and younger leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dominating the convention stage.

“You know, if we don't have younger people coming up, talented younger people, then as a party, we die,” she said.

The “veepstakes” that dominated news cycles after Harris became the Democrats’ de facto nominee elevated major players such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly into national conversations.

But behind them is another generation of rising stars that could be ready for prime time by the next presidential primary cycle. If Harris is successful this November and serves out two terms, that might not be until 2032 when the political world — and its universe of high-profile players — could look dramatically different.

"They have given us a really solid foundation,” Flanagan said. “Now, our job is to just build on that.”

Convention programming feature up-and-comers — and an audience eager to hear them

On the first day of convention programming, Crockett, the Texas representative, had a primetime speaking slot usually reserved for some of the night’s highest-profile speakers.

Crockett is a vocal Harris supporter who made headlines earlier this year for her remarks about Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green's appearance.

“She’s lived the American Dream while he’s been America’s nightmare,” Crockett said to applause Monday night.

Afterward, Kimberly Eaton, a 62-year-old Pauls Valley, Oklahoma resident, gushed over Crockett and her prospects within the party.

“She is somebody that is up and coming, smart, intelligent and don't take no crap,” Eaton said. “Jasmine is excellent. I mean, I put my eyes on her probably about a year ago when she told off the Republicans in committee, and I've been following her ever since. So, she is the one to be looking for.”

Eaton said she was excited to see such a diverse lineup of speakers featured throughout the night.

“If you look at the diverse crowd of this convention versus the one we saw last month, it's a total difference. This is a melting pot,” she said.

Night One’s speaker lineup also featured Lt. Govs. Eleni Kounalakis of California, Austin Davis of Pennsylvania and Sara Rodriguez of Wisconsin, as well as Harris County, Texas, executive Lina Hidalgo and Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is the youngest Democrat to lead a state and the country’s only Black governor, is expected to speak later in the week.

But the title “up-and-comer" isn’t just reserved for the young.

Tim Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota and Harris’ newly appointed running mate, was not a household name within the party until Harris catapulted him into prominence. Now, he’s being regarded as a fresh face who is bringing new energy into the party.

Walz made numerous surprise appearances as Democratic caucus groups met on the convention campus Monday, generating cheers and applause as he briefly took the stage to rally the rooms.

“This is challenging work. This is hard. There's a lot at stake,” he told the Hispanic Caucus as attendees swarmed closer to the stage to take pictures and video. “But that's no different than a lot of people live their lives. It can be challenging and hard, but you can do it with a sense of optimism and, what (Harris) is doing, with a sense of joy, with a sense of joy.”

Young Democrats contemplate party’s future

Pennsylvania State University political science professor Dan Mallinson told USA TODAY it’s unclear what the future of the Democratic party looks like after Biden, but it could look a lot younger.

“(Election cycles have) been so oriented around a single person,” he said. “It’s not clear what that’s gonna look like.”

Florida U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, flitted through various caucus meetings across the convention campus and attended public speaking events at Axios House and the CNN/POLITICO Grill.

As Frost exited a meeting of the party’s Hispanic Caucus Monday morning, he was quickly swarmed by TV cameras and eager delegates hoping to shake his hand or snap a selfie.

Angela Weathers, a Miami resident, eagerly grabbed a photo with Frost, saying she’s excited to see the next generation of leaders gain more prominence in the party.

“Just to see intelligent young people like that excited about the Democratic Party is exciting to me,” she said.

Frost made history in 2023 when he was elected as the first Gen Z member of the House of Representatives. He is 27 years old and is expected to have a convention speaking slot this week, Mediaite reported.

Paul Young, who was sworn in earlier this year as the mayor of Memphis, one of America’s 30 most populous cities, was also attending the convention and touted the breadth and diversity of future leaders on display.

He said young people and this next generation of voters are looking for authenticity as they evaluate potential leaders.

"They are a generation that can see through things that are fake, and so they want their politicians to be real and authentic,” he said. “They like a lot of communication using various mediums. So, you know, really being engaged on social media and those platforms. And, really, they're looking for energy. They are ready for change, and they're ready to do it now, and so I don't think they want a piecemeal approach.”

Mallinson said that the party is at "an inflection point" and that its pool of “good talent” has plenty of time to build their political profiles for the future.

But Flanagan said she isn't looking that far ahead. She said her voice was hoarse by the end of the convention's first night after cheering so loud for her hopeful future president and vice president.

"We can't take anything for granted," she said. "And this is just fuel to the fire for the next 77 days."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democratic National Convention highlights rising stars, fresh faces