After earlier speculation that they may leave her out, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most outspoken progressive voices in Congress, will speak at the party's national convention next week, when the party will officially nominate Joe Biden for the presidency.
News of the speaker schedule came after weeks of speculation that AOC may be excluded from the event. But organizers have lined up several Latinx speakers to help the party win support from minority groups and left-leaning voters.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will also have roles in next week's event, CNN reported.
While the schedule hasn't been completely ironed out, additional confirmed speakers include Biden's primary opponents Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Also speaking are President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The DNC made headlines last month by announcing former governor of Ohio John Kasich, a Republican and critic of President Donald Trump, would also address viewers.
I will be speaking at the #DNC Convention because I believe that America needs to go in a different direction.
I've searched my conscience and I believe the best way forward is for change - to bring unity where there has been division. And to bring about a healing in America. pic.twitter.com/sfnBGBF3kG
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 11, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez has been a consistent critic of centrist incrementalism, and of Biden, but defeating Trump remains a unifying goal for Democrats. The former vice president tapped AOC and former U.S. Senator John Kerry to head his climate task force, which the represenative from New York said has pushed his policies forward.
Of course, like in any collaborative effort, there are areas of negotiation and compromise.
But I do believe that the Climate Task Force effort meaningfully & substantively improved Biden’s positions.
I encourage you to engage the document critically and offer feedback or Qs.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2020
A list of speakers and events for the convention, which the DNC has dubbed "Uniting America," can be found here.
Republished from Common Dreams under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
