Remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention – Aug. 19, 2024

[cheers] Thank you, Chicago, for your energy. Thank you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, for your vision. [chants of “AOC! AOC!] Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you, Chicago, for your energy. Thank you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, for your vision. And thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership. [applause]

You know, six years ago. I was taking omelet orders as a waitress in New York City. I didn't have health insurance. My family was fighting off foreclosure. And we were struggling with bills after my dad passed away unexpectedly from cancer. Like millions of Americans, we were just looking for an honest shake. And we were tired of a cynical politics that seemed blind to the realities of working people.

It was then, only through the miracles of democracy and community, that the good people of the Bronx and Queens chose someone like me to elect them in Congress. [cheers]

And America—in my heart I know from that same cloth of hope and aspiration, we will also elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as president and vice president of the United States of America.

I am here tonight because America has before us a rare and precious opportunity. In Kamala Harris, we have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class. [cheers] She understands the urgency of rent checks and groceries and prescriptions. She is as committed to our reproductive and civil rights as she is to taking on corporate greed. [cheers] And she is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bringing hostages home. [cheers]

In Kamala Harris, I see a leader who understands. I see a leader with a real commitment to a better future for working families.

And Chicago, we have to help her win. Because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for $1 if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends. [cheers] And I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life. [cheers]

The truth is, Don, you cannot I love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business. [cheers] To love this country is to fight for its people, all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast food cashiers who punch a clock. and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there. [cheers]

You know, ever since I got elected, Republicans have attacked me by saying that I should go back to bartending. [boos] But let me tell you. I'm happy to any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living. [cheers]

Imagine having leaders in the White House who understand that, leaders like and Tim. [cheers]

But Chicago—just because the choice is clear to us, does not mean that the path will be easy. Over the next 78 days we will have to pour every ounce, every minute, every moment into making history on November 5. [cheers]

But we cannot send Kamala and Tim to the White House alone. Together we must also elect strong Democratic majorities in the House and in the Senate [cheers] so that we can deliver on an ambitious agenda for the people. [cheers]

Because if you are a working parent trying to afford rent and childcare, Kamala is for you. If you are a senior who had to go back to work because your retirement didn't stretch far enough, Kamala is for you. If you're an immigrant's family just starting your American story, Kamala is for you. [cheers]

America, when we knock on our neighbor's door, organize our communities and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on November 5, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day, one that is for the people and by the people. Thank you. Thank you very much. God bless. God bless you all. [cheers]

PBS NewsHour. “WATCH: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention | Night 1.” YouTube video, 7:16. Aug. 19, 2024.