The 49 Iowans who are delegates to the Democratic National Convention have voted electronically for Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee.
C.J. Petersen is one of those delegates and the designated “whip” to round up votes in the group. “We were all elected as Biden delegates, but we knew that we had to make a decision and the moment we unanimously voted to unite behind Vice President Harris felt historic to me,” Petersen said tonight, “because not only were we doing something we were not obligated to do — we could vote for anyone that we wanted to — but it was unprecedented in modern history.”
Petersen made his comments during an online gathering of Iowa Democrats. “Giving up power willingly after a lifetime of service is a stunning act of selflessness and patriotism and I want to say, ‘Thank you,’ one more time to Joe Biden for passing the torch,” Petersen said.
Bakari Sellers, the national co-chair of Harris’ 2020 campaign, was the highlighted speaker for the 90 minute event. Sellers, who described Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as “his guy” in the veepstakes, predicted Harris will be selecting “a white male who is a governor” as a running mate.
“I chose Kamala Harris back in 2020,” Sellers said. “…What happened? I’ve been really honest with people. I say: ‘We screwed that thing completely up.’…The Kamala Harris that we all knew is not the Kamala Harris we allowed the country to see.”
Sue Dvorsky of Coralville, a former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, endorsed Harris for president in August of 2019 and she was among several party leaders who spoke tonight. Dvorsky said Iowa Democrat still have muscle memory from when Iowa voted twice for the Obama-Biden ticket and can spur turn out for Harris and the person she picks as a running mate.
“We have a chance here to remember who it is that we are,” Dvorsky said. “…We don’t need permission to lead and we are behind her and whoever it is 100%.”