CHICAGO — State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday said he “didn’t know whether or not we were going to have a full house” just over a month ago before President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s nominee.
“The fact is I didn’t know whether or not we were going to have a full house because a lot of people were – they weren’t as excited about the prospects of being able to win in November, but more people are excited about it,” West said. “Not only are they excited about winning the presidency, but the impact it’s going to have in terms of down ballot.”
He said he’s seen a new enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket.
“The energy is just phenomenal. I mean people are pumped up like I’ve never seen before – since probably Obama when Obama ran in 2008,” West said.
West said he’s hopeful the energy and momentum behind Harris can continue past the debate with the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump set for Sept. 10 and into Election Day.
Watch our full interview with West here:
With former President Barack Obama speaking Tuesday on the second night of the convention and Bill Clinton set to speak Wednesday on the third night, West noted two former presidents endorsed Harris at the convention, but no former presidents endorsed Trump at the Republican Convention.
“Think about this," West said, “two former presidents that are going to be on that stage endorsing Kamala Harris. How many did you have at the Republican convention? Zero. Why? Because they dislike Donald Trump.”
