Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomes delegates at open of DNC
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took to the lectern Monday evening to welcome the delegates to the first night of the Democratic National Convention.
Invoking the city's history of political activism and storied figures from Ida B. Wells to Jesse Jackson to former President Barack Obama, Johnson tied that legacy to the party's platform behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the Democratic nomination for president. Johnson argued she would advocate for working and middle-class Americans.
"As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris, the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day, she is going to look out for the interests of everyday people," he said.
The mayor also referred to the historic nature of Harris' campaign as the first Black woman and Asian American woman to be the nominee of a major party.
"As a Black man raising a little Black girl on the West Side of Chicago, I know that my daughter Braedyn will see not only a reflection of herself in the White House, but she will experience the deepest part of American values," he said.
As CBS News Chicago's Chris Tye reported, Johnson appeared to go significantly off script from what was loaded into the convention's teleprompter and also spoke a little longer than expected. But the speed seemed to be well received, as the festivities were also started about half an hour later than scheduled.
Still, Johnson's speech took place not long after Chicago police officers had to repair a breach of security fencing by some protesters not far from the United Center. Thousands of people were marching to protest the Biden administration's policy in support of Israel and its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The breach of part of the fencing came as Johnson's police department faced a myriad of questions about how officers would respond to the thousands of expected protesters who were descending upon Chicago.
