Congressional candidate Jamaal Bowman on Monday told Hill.TV that there appears to be a “disconnect” between the top speakers at the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) and figures he said represent the future of the party.
Bowman, a progressive who won a primary challenge against House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) in June, discussed the 17 Democratic “rising stars” who will speak at the convention and said the lineup should “definitely” include people like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
Such people, he said, “represent what I think the Democratic Party is going to be going forward. I mean, the progressives have spoken resoundingly in elections across the country.” He cited both definitive primary victories by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as well as Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush winning a primary against nine-term incumbent Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.).
“It’s unfortunate that it continues to be a disconnect between the DNC and what’s happening on the ground with real American people,” he added. “With all due respect to [former Ohio Gov.] John Kasich [R] and many others who are speaking, there are new voices that I think the American people need to hear from, because it pulls them into the democratic process and gets them excited about our country moving forward.”
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