CHICAGO — State lawmakers from across the country gathered Monday for a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee meeting during the Democratic National Convention, where an overwhelming majority agreed that the modern Harris-Walz presidential lineup has energized the party’s electorate.
“I think there’s a shared opportunity for a whole new group of Democrats and voters in general to understand how important their statehouses really are, and to build that into a future where voters better understand why their representation in their statehouses matters so much,” Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, told States Newsroom.
Democratic state lawmakers from states that typically lean Republican, such as Iowa, Tennessee and Oklahoma, said they, too, have seen an boost in volunteers since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race as the modern Democratic presidential candidate. President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid after a disastrous debate performance and pressure from leading Democrats.
Tennessee Rep. John Ray Clemmons, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives, said he sees volunteers not only at the national level but also in the Tennessee House of Representatives elections.
“This new energy brings with it new excitement, and people feel they have a new sense of hope and purpose,” he said.
He said the presidential race is reminiscent of former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum said she has seen an boost in people wanting to volunteer.
“Iowans are very excited,” she said. “It’s spurred additional fundraising, and we have people who are … calling us and saying, ‘What can we do to help?’”
State lawmakers added that they saw an even greater boost in enthusiasm when Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.
“We haven’t felt this much hope and energy in a while,” Jochum said, adding that Walz “brings common sense and a real passion for our democracy and freedom, and she really, really complements Kamala (Harris) well.”
Oklahoma state Sen. Carri Hicks said it was refreshing to see Walz on the list, “giving a different face to masculinity, embracing, supporting women … what I see as real kindness and compassion, in his leadership style.”
Hicks said Harris’ work on reproductive rights since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Walz’s repeated mentions of his daughter Hope, who was born through in vitro fertilization, have resonated with voters in her state.
“In my state Senate district, health care is the economic engine of the district that I represent,” she said. “So when you think about access to reproductive care, the ability to have a family, I think it humanizes the story that so many of my constituents have gone through, that so many Americans have gone through.”
In key states, the reaction was very similar.
North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said reproductive rights issues such as abortion, in vitro fertilization and contraception played a vast role in voter turnout.
“What you’re definitely seeing, especially in urban areas, is a recognition by women of all ages that there’s a war on women,” he said. “All of these rights and opportunities that women should have have suddenly disappeared.”
Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate said the energy around the Harris-Walz campaign was a “buzz.”
“I think this trend is going to continue to grow, with Democrats dominating at all levels,” Tate said, adding that he hopes to see Democrats expand their influence in the state legislature, as well as Harris’ support in Michigan.
Since Harris entered the race, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter moved several battleground states — Arizona, Georgia and Nevada — from “Republican-leaning” to “unsure.”
Harris and Walz have already aggressively targeted key battleground states with less than three months until November. At Monday’s breakfast with delegates from Wisconsinanother battleground state, Walz encouraged delegates to continue campaigning until Election Day.
“We have 78 days of hard work,” Walz said. “We can sleep when we’re dead.”
