Remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention – Aug. 20, 2024

Good evening, America! I'm Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of the great state of New Mexico.

And in my state we like things spicy—a little chile on everything, a little kick in our campaigns—and let me tell you, we are feeling in Fuego right now! [cheers] We are fired up to elect Kamala Harris president of the United States. [cheers]

This election is about protecting our democracy and securing our freedoms, including the right to affordable, quality health care.

Now, this issue is personal to Vice President Harris, whose mom passed away after a battle with colon cancer, and it's personal to me. At two years old, my sister was diagnosed with a tumor that was incurable and made her uninsurable by the time she was three. And it's personal to Americans across the country who know what it's like when someone they love gets sick.

Donald Trump and JD Vance want to dismantle our health care system, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions. Either these guys don't get it or they just don't care.

You know who gets it? Kamala Harris gets it and she cares. [applause].

As attorney general, she took on drug companies that jacked up prices and hospitals that overcharged patients. And when Republicans tried to kill the Affordable Care Act, she stood up in the Senate, voting not just no but hell no. [cheers]

And Kamala Harris hasn't just stopped Republicans from making our health care system worse—she fights every day to make it better. [cheers]

And I know. I spent 20 years working to get Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices. As vice president, Kamala Harris delivered it. [cheers]

You know what Donald Trump delivered? Junk plans, higher premiums, and abortion bans. [boos] And if you don't think a second term would be worse, then I've got a box of Trump steaks to sell you. [cheers]

We have not just a better choice. America, we have the best choice. [cheers] Yes, we do! Kamala Harris will protect your right to care, she'll cap drug costs, she'll go after corporate price gougers, and ensure every woman who needs it can access reproductive health care. [cheers]

That's the president I want and that's the president America needs, and with your help that's the next president of the United States, [cheers] President Kamala Harris. [cheers]

PBS NewsHour. “WATCH: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 2.” YouTube video, 4:35. Aug. 20, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1TutbbVUTA