The Illinois delegation
to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago met for breakfast one
final time on Thursday as the hour drew closer to Kamala Harris accepting the
party’s nomination for president.
A new catchphrase was
unofficially adopted at the breakfast, but it wasn’t specifically about the
election. It came from remarks made during the meeting by 13th
District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, who talked about “Silicorn Valley” between
Decatur and Champaign. Budzinski was referring to a new biomanufacturing and
fermentation hub that will be developed from a $50 million investment from the
Biden administration’s Chips and Sciences Act.
The “Silicorn Valley”
term was jokingly referred to by some of the other breakfast speakers who were
definitely not from grain farming areas.
“I
come from a place where we grow some of the largest amounts of corn and
soybeans in the country, and out of that comes agricultural waste,” Budzinski
said. “But instead of putting that in a landfill, we’re repurposing it to
create a whole new industry in central Illinois that will make yoga pants.”
After
the breakfast, Budzinski spoke to Illinois Times about how Democrats need
to move forward following this week’s convention.
“I think the people are really desperate for more joy and hope. Elections are about the future, not the past,” Budzinski said. “It’s about a positive vision for our country, building on some of the successes that this administration has had. It’s showing up in all of the communities, a willingness to listen to people and understand that we all have different perspectives and we don’t have to agree on everything 100% of the time.”
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin observed to the breakfast crowd that, “We’ve had fun here, but now we have to roll up our sleeves and go to work. Go home and rest for 24 hours, but no longer, and go out and make a difference.”
Durbin
said he was pleased to be at an in-person convention after the 2020 convention
was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 1996
when we had our last convention in Chicago, the delegation was nice enough to
let me chair. I was running for Senate at the time, and the weather was perfect
then as it has been this week,” Durbin said. “This convention is a throwback to
another era when people physically appeared,
no Zooms, no Skypes.”
Sangamon
County Democratic Party Chairman Bill Houlihan opined, “I’ve been
to several of these conventions over the years and I’ve never seen one that has
been running more magnificently. The speeches have been more to the point and
letting us know what we need to do over these next 70-plus days,” he said.
Illinois State
Treasurer Michael Frerichs acknowledged that the hard work has to begin the day
after the convention ends.
“I think there’s a lot
of excitement, a lot of momentum behind our nominees, and a lot of people here
are excited to go back home and spread the word,” Frerichs said. “I think the
message of freedom and joy is in complete contrast to the hate, rage and vile
that we saw out of the Republican National Convention. I’ve talked to a lot of people
who feel confident right now, but I remind them that things change very quickly
in politics and we have lots of work ahead of us.”
Illinois Comptroller
Susanna Mendoza was a little more blunt, telling attendees it was now time to
go out and “kick some ass.”
Alexi Giannoulias, the
Illinois Secretary of State, was pleased with the entire tone that has been set
during the convention.
“I think from a
messaging perspective the convention is as close to perfect as you can
imagine,” Giannoulias said. “I love vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, and
when his son pointed and yelled, ‘That’s my dad!’ during Tim’s acceptance
speech, it brought tears to my eyes.”
