Democratic Dazzlers: Party Hopes its Stars Will Shine Brightly in Charlotte

Some of the headliners at the Democratic National Convention are household names; others may become household names after they speak at the convention Sept. 4-6.

Who’s Who

The lineup has been building all summer. It is not uncommon for speakers to be added even closer to the convention start, and for the actual schedule of speakers be shuffled up to the last moment. Keep your eyes on the convention website, mobile apps and social media feeds for late-breaking developments.

• Read more on TheVillageCelebration – Connecting with the Convention: Social media may be the next best thing to being in Charlotte as Democrats gather in September
  

  Senior attorney at the City of Philadelphia Law Department’s Health and Adult Services Unit  poses with President Obama. The President will accept the Democratic nomination on Sept. 6. (Photo courtesy: M. Williams) 

One Philadelphia man will be watching closely. Michael Williams, senior attorney at the City of Philadelphia Law Department’s Health and Adult Services Unit, is a fan of many of the headliners.

“The speaker line-up is amazing,” Williams said. “From the first Latino keynote speaker (San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro), to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, to former President Bill Clinton, to my friend and mentor Elizabeth Warren, the 2012 DNC convention will go down in history as the best political convention ever.”

Listed in alphabetical order:

Cory Booker, Newark Mayor. Remember when he caught flack for criticizing President Obama’s focus on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital? Well, all appears to be forgiven. Booker is the co-chair of the convention platform committee.

Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President. He will not actually be in Charlotte. Instead, he’ll make his opening nights remark during primetime via video.

Julián Castro, San Antonio Mayor is this year’s keynote speaker. He’ll address the convention on its opening night, Sept. 4.

Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President is always a crowd pleaser, especially if the crowd consists of Democrats.

Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Mayor. The longtime friend of President Obama served as White House Chief of Staff from January 2009 to October 2010.

Anthony Foxx, Charlotte Mayor. It’s fitting that the mayor of the convention host city should make an appearance. When he was elected in 2009 at age 38, he became the youngest mayor of that city and the second African-American to hold the job

Jennifer Granholm, former Michigan Governor. Granholm became Michigan’s first female governor in 2003 and served a second term. She now hosts The War Room with Jennifer Granholm on Current TV.

Kamala D. Harris, California Attorney General. Harris is the first woman to hold this job. As the daughter of a Jamaican American father and a Tamil mother, she counts herself as the first African-American and first South Asian to serve as California attorney general.

John Hickenlooper, Colorado Governor. Not exactly well known outside of his state, Hickenlooper earned respect and attention for his response to the Aurora movie theater shooting in July.

Tim Kaine, candidate for US Senate from Virginia. Kaine served as governor of Virginia from 2006-2010 was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011.

Claudia Kennedy, Lt. Gen. (Ret.), U.S. Army. Kennedy remains the only woman to reach the rank of the three-star general in the U.S. Army. She served for 31 years and retired in 2000. She serves as co-chair of the convention platform committee.

John Kerry, US Senator from Massachusetts.  Himself a former presidential candidate, Kerry may be best remembered for failing to oust President George W. Bush in 2004.

Barbara Lee, U.S. Congresswoman from California. Elected in 1998, Lee is the first woman to serve as representative for California’s 9^th Congressional District, which includes Oakland and Berkeley.

Austin Ligon, founder and former CEO of CarMax. In 2006, Ligon retired from the company he founded to pursue private investing. Today CarMax is the largest retailer of used cars in the U.S.

Daniel Malloy, Connecticut Governor. Elected in 2011, Malloy’s personal story is one that could resonate with the Democratic National Convention. As a child he overcame learning disabilities and eventually was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Michael Nutter, Philadelphia Mayor. A lifelong resident of the city he now leads, Nutter was elected in 2007 and reelected in 2011.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a grassroots and police and motorcade photo line at the Lenfest Police Athletic League Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 18, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Michelle Obama, First Lady. She speaks on opening night and is expected to focus on her husband as a husband, father, and leader. In her own right, the First Lady has made tackling childhood obesity and supporting military families her two priority projects.

Martin O’Malley, Maryland Governor. O’Malley has served as governor since 2007. Before that he was Baltimore mayor (1999-2007). He is the Chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Governor. The man who holds Republican Mitt Romney’s old job is the state’s first African-American governor and is in his second term

R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis Mayor. First elected in 2001, Rybak is a lifelong resident of the city he now leads. A former journalist, Rybak headed the company Internet Broadcasting Systems, which runs websites for television stations across the U.S.

Jim Sinegal, co-founder and former CEO of Costco. Sinegal started his retail career as a grocery store bagger. As a child in Pittsburgh, he spent some time in an orphanage before his mother remarried and his stepfather adopted him.

Ted Strickland, former Ohio governor.In addition to holding the state’s top job, Strickland was a six-term U.S. House Representative from Ohio.

Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Mayor is the convention chairman. He made non-election headlines in 2007, after the married Villaraigosa’s affair with a Los Angeles newscaster was revealed. It will be Villaraigosa’s job to lead the states as they nominate the president and vice president.

Elizabeth Warren, candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts is a friend and mentor of senior attorney at the City of Philadelphia Law Department’s Health and Adult Services Unit Michael Williams. She is a headline speaker for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. (Photo courtesy: M. Williams)

Elizabeth Warren, candidate for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. Warren created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011, and then was passed over to lead the agency in favor of Richard Cordray.

Both President Obama and Vice President Biden will give their acceptance speeches on Sept. 6 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte.

Convention platform co-chairs Booker and Kennedy, along with Lee, will present the platform on Tuesday, September 4th to the convention.

• Check in at Demconvention.com for updates to the speaker slate.

Sources: Demconvention.com, Wikipedia