MORGANTOWN – Monongalia County Democratic Executive Committee chair Cal Carlson represented the county and the state at last week’s Democratic National Convention and talked with The Dominion Post on Wednesday about his experiences.
“It was a really great experience to represent West Virginia,” he said. There was diverse representation among the 24 delegates and three staff members. Compared the delegations from some of the big states, the group was comparatively small.
That meant they all knew each other, something the larger delegations couldn’t boast, he said.
They arrived on Aug. 18, and the convention ran Aug. 19-22. Each day started 7-7:30 a.m., as the various delegations met for breakfast. They’d hear from various speakers. From 9 a.m.-3 p.m., there were various interest group caucus meetings and the convention hall expo at the McCormick Place Convention Center.
Then everyone would move to the United Center to gavel in at 5:15 p.m. for the evening’s entertainment and speeches.
“The energy everywhere was just electric,” he said. “There was just this renewed energy once Kamala was named the nominee, how people were getting energized on the ground in their own states.”
Asked what words he’d use to describe the atmosphere, he chose “unity” and “unifying.”
With President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign aborted after the June 27 debate, Carlson said the party rallied behind his replacement. “People are just excited for that.”
The DNC offered the opportunity to meet fellow Democrats from across the country, Carlson said. The Mon delegation stayed at a hotel that housed 17 others.
“I’m talking with people from California, North Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico. For some people there was a very mixed reaction to West Virginia, because everybody paints us as being this hard core, very deep red Trump country.”
So it was good to talk with them about Democratic candidates in West Virginia and some local successes they’ve experienced, he said. “It seemed to really inspire people.”
Two West Virginia delegates also provided inspiration he said.
And they garnered national attention appearing in various media reports. Kathryn Prather, 18, of Ohio County was the state’s youngest delegate. Jean Evansmore, 83, of Fayette County, was the oldest. They shared the honor of announcing the delegation’s 24 votes for the already chosen presidential candidate during Wednesday’s ceremonial roll call.
State Party chair Mike Pushkin, who represents Kanawha County in the House of Delegates, chose Carlson as delegation captain, Ohio County attorney general candidate Teresa Toriseva as whip, and state party secretary Jenny Craig, of Ohio County as communications captain.
Their work started back before the convention, he said, with the virtual roll call to replace Biden with Harris and continued at the DNC to keep in contact with the Harris-Walz team to keep everything coordinated – including signage, chants and logistics.
Outside the convention hall, the atmosphere was less peaceful and joyful, as pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters had to be controlled by police and kept away by barrier walls.
Carlson said they had to pass through protesters to get to the hotel the Sunday before the DNC began. And on the first day it was bit difficult getting to the United Center, with protesters blocking buses and breaching security barriers. A couple demonstrations inside the center were handled by security.
But, he said, “I think everybody has a First Amendment right to free speech and to protest.”
On the lighter side, there were the Beyonce appearance rumors. “That was quite the talk,” he said. “And everybody was tracking Taylor Swift’s jet. … I think people were a little bit disappointed.”
As it turned out, Oprah Winfrey was the only guest speaker not on the agenda, he said. “That was really the true surprise of it all.”
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
