Tucson Mayor Regina Romero greeted Democratic National Convention delegates in Spanish as she moved for adoption of the partyโs national platform in the opening minutes of the convention Monday.
โBuenas Noches Demรณcratas,โ Romero said as she started her short speech as co-chair of the partyโs platform committee along with Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans.
The platform is a 92-page non-binding document that outlines the Democratic National Committeeโs priorities for the next four years.
On the economy, the platform includes sections about expanding tax credits for working people, but it doesnโt go as far as Harrisโ proposal for a $6,000 tax credit for middle-class and working families with newborn children, according to CNN.
And while the platform criticizes companies for keeping prices high even as their costs have come down, it doesnโt include Harrisโ proposal for a federal ban on price gouging on groceries, the network reports.
The platform also makes the case for a ceasefire deal, which it says โwill lead to a more secure Israelโ and โallow for Arab nations and the international community to help rebuild Gaza in a manner that does not allow Hamas to re-arm,โ CNN says.
Romero noted the platform was adopted July 16, before President Joe Biden โpassed the torch in an act of love and patriotism.โ
โVice President Harris is now carrying the torch. And she and Governor Walz are committed to delivering results for the American people,โ she said to loud applause.
She then slammed former president Trump.
โThen you have Donald Trump,โ she said to the crowd gathered at the United Center in Chicago. โHis extreme agenda is working against everyday Americans. He is fighting for big oil, big pharma, big banks; but most of all, most of all... He is fighting for himself.โ
โยกCuando, luchamos, ganamos!โ she said in closing, using a Spanish form of the political slogan โWhen we fight, we win.โ
Monday morning, Romero spoke at the Native American Caucus and plans to speak on a panel Thursday with Ai-jen Poo of Care in Action and Marรญa Teresa Kumar of Voto Latino, said Charlene Mendoza, her political director and chief of staff.
Later Monday evening, UA basketball alum and current Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, was scheduled to speak at the convention. The United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls, is where Kerr won the first three of his five NBA championships. He also just coached the American team to a gold medal at the Olympics.
Romero and Landrieu were followed by Minnesota Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan, who is poised to take over for current Governor Tim Walz, if he and Harris are elected, said party Chair Jaime Harrison.
President Joe Biden was to be Monday nightโs keynote speaker, according to the Associated Press. First Lady Jill Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez also were scheduled to speak.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are expected to speak on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, according to NBC Chicago. Former First Lady Michelle Obama is set to speak Tuesday.
VP candidate Tim Walz will speak Wednesday, and Harris is set to accept the partyโs nomination on Thursday.
Pima Democrats will be hosting a watch party for Harrisโ speech Thursday night, at Brother Johnโs Bourbon and Beer, 1801 N. Stone Ave. The watch party is set for 6 p.m.
In April, Vice President Harris visited Tucson shortly after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 law criminalizing nearly all abortions is enforceable by the state.
โHere in Arizona, they have turned the clock back more than a century on womenโs rights and freedoms,โ Harris told an audience gathered at El Rio Center on Tucsonโs west side. โThe overturning of Roe was a seismic event... And this ban in Arizona is one of the biggest aftershocks yet.โ
Earlier this month, Harris stopped at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale for a campaign rally shortly after Walz was announced as her running mate. She promoted a border security bill that a bipartisan group of senators negotiated earlier this year, which Republican lawmakers ultimately opposed en masse at former Trumpโs behest, the Associated Press reported.
