More than 4,000 delegates will descend upon the United Center in Chicago next week for the Democratic National Convention, and their schedules are packed.
“I got a tentative schedule and the agenda is 17 pages long,” state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson said Thursday on “Politically Georgia.”
Hutchinson went on to explain what goes into her role as one of the delegates representing Georgia.
“Without the votes from the delegate the nominee does not become the nominee,” the Gwinnett County Democrat said.
Vice President Kamala Harris won the Democratic Party’s nomination when delegates gathered for a virtual roll call earlier this month. The convention will feature a ceremonial roll call vote.
“It’s still exciting to go through the motions and to watch the whole process unfold,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson will also have a packed schedule starting with getting her credentials and going through security daily.
“We have to meet every morning, and people who know me know that I’m not necessarily an early morning person, but breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and we get our credentials every day,” she said of the long days ahead. “So it’s a lot of, there’s a lot of security involved.”
Once they have their credentials, Hutchinson and others will take part in special-interest groups that will advance the party’s platform.
“I am a part of a lot of committees that are special interests to me, like women’s groups and small business and things that are pertinent to what I do at the Capitol in Georgia,” she said of her agenda.
Hutchinson was also a delegate in 2020, when the convention was held virtually due to COVID-19.
“So this is going to be new for me. It’s going to be new for, it’s been eight years since we had an in-person convention,” she said.
“This only happens once every four years,” Hutchinson said. “I think everybody’s been holding up all the energy and we’re going to have a blast in Chicago.”
Friday on “Politically Georgia”: The team will preview their interview with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. The full interview will come Monday. Then, former state Rep. Calvin Smyre recaps his most memorable conventions. And Atlanta Journal-Constitution colleague Mark Niesse helps the hosts answer your election questions from the listener mailbag.
