Chicago throws party for delegates at Navy Pier a night ahead of DNC
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The evening before the Democratic National Convention was set to begin in Chicago, the city threw a welcome party for the thousands of delegates at the Navy Pier Ballroom.
It came with a very different vibe for the party than four weeks ago—when President Biden was still the 2024 nominee.
Security Sunday night was tight at the ballroom at the easternmost end of Navy Pier—where a few thousand people are expected to meet for the first official gathering of the DNC delegates of this convention. Mayor Brandon Johnson will be present at the Navy Pier event.
Delegates from Ohio said at the event that the Electoral College map is in such flux, they believe states that have become reliably red, like Ohio, could be in play after this DNC week.
"Ohio has been mis-thought of as a red state. We're a gerrymandered state," said Ohio delegate and state Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland). "We are at play, and we are here to let people know that we are going to do what it takes to make sure we win Ohio."
"We're going to get what we didn't get with Hillary Clinton in Kamala Harris," said Ohio delegate and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Meredith Turner, "and I'm looking forward to not just, you know, Chicago, but going back home, knocking on doors, getting folks registered to participate. Civic engagement is everything right now."
Anyone who has walked to the end of Navy Pier knows it's a haul. Delegates are being shuttled directly from their hotels to a receiving line at the end of Navy Pier to make it easy on them, and to make the first event of this eventful week a smooth one.
Meanwhile, delegates from Illinois include everyone from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Star Jones, and local mayors and faith leaders. The youngest delegate at the convention is a 19-year-old from the North Shore named Claire Satkiewicz.