Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago, with a spotlight on Minnesota

[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: The Democratic National Convention is underway. As I mentioned, it's an official pep rally for the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Minnesota's Tim Walz. The Minnesota delegation is getting some special attention, what with Walz at the top of the ticket and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan also playing a big role during the convention. The delegation met this morning in the Windy City. Reporter Mark Zdechlik was there, and he joins me right now from Chicago. Hey, Mark.

MARK ZDECHLIK: Good afternoon, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: So tell us about the Minnesota DNC delegates.

MARK ZDECHLIK: Well, these, Cathy, are the people who came up from small-scale caucus meetings to congressional district conventions and, finally, the state Democratic Convention to be elected to come here to Chicago. That's most of them. There are also some automatic delegates, office holders, party leaders, and so on.

Their job-- the delegates-- is to be at the convention to make sure there are not empty seats, especially since Governor Walz is running for vice president. And so much attention is on Tim Walz in Minnesota. They'll also crown the Harris-Walz ticket before leaving Chicago. Cathy, party leaders hope the various delegations will bring the excitement of the convention back home with them and help them promote the Democratic ticket.

CATHY WURZER: Of course, there's a lot of events that will happen throughout the course of the convention. The delegations have various breakfasts and lunches and that kind of thing. So I understand the delegates from Minnesota had some heavy hitters show up at their meeting this morning. Is that right?

MARK ZDECHLIK: Yeah, and the message throughout is that the election is just 78 days away, and Democrats need to work hard to spread the word about what they're offering the country. Cathy, there is understandably a lot of talk about Governor Tim Walz and his accomplishments in the US House and as governor. Here's some of what Minnesota's senior senator, Amy Klobuchar, had to say about the fired up delegation. She borrowed from Garrison Keillor and his A Prairie Home Companion to make her point about Minnesota's history of producing vice presidents.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: We're a state where the women are strong, where the men are good-looking, and where all the vice presidents are above average. I reminded them that being the state of Humphrey and Mondale and now Walz, we're the state where moms bounce their babies on their knees and say, one day, you can grow up to be vice president.

MARK ZDECHLIK: Klobuchar also encouraged the Minnesota delegates to inspire regular voters and potential voters by putting up yard signs, knocking on doors, and otherwise volunteering their time to elect Harris and Walz. Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back on liberal labels that have been attached nationally to Governor Tim Walz since he joined the ticket.

KEITH ELLISON: Sometimes, you're watching the tube these days, and you hear people talking about Tim Walz. Well, is he this, and is he that? And is he the other thing? And I think to myself, Tim Walz is a pragmatic problem solver. Tim Walz, he was a teacher. He ran the lunchroom. He was a football coach. And he knows how hard it is for a child to learn when they're hungry.

So Tim Walz says we need universal meals for our kids. Is that progressive? Is that conservative? I don't know what label you want to put on it. It seems compassionate and pragmatic and common sense to me.

CATHY WURZER: So Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, I understand, is co-chairing the convention tonight. Is that right? What is she going to do?

MARK ZDECHLIK: Yeah, she is. And she'll be introducing speakers tonight. And she said she's looking forward to the opportunity to share with the nation her experiences of working with Tim Walz.

PEGGY FLANAGAN: Tonight, the spotlight is on Minnesota, and so excited to be the hype squad, right, for our state and for Governor Walz. What it really means is that I will gavel us in and will introduce segments throughout the night. Tonight's theme is For the People. So there will be a lot of Americans who will be sharing their stories about President Biden and reflecting on his leadership, but also, of course, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

CATHY WURZER: So, Mark, you were at the RNC just a few weeks ago in Milwaukee. What feels different about the Democratic convention in Chicago?

MARK ZDECHLIK: Well, Cathy, on day one, I'm already getting more access to the Minnesota delegation than I got from the Republican delegation over several days in Milwaukee. Their meetings were not open to most reporters, so it was difficult to report on who was talking to them and what they were saying and so on. The leaders of the GOP delegation from Minnesota even told their members not to speak with reporters. That is not the case here in Chicago. It sure looks like I'll have much better access to what's going on here than I did in Milwaukee.

The Minnesota delegation, Cathy, will also enjoy preferred seating at their national convention because Governor Walz is on the ticket. What seems to be very similar between the two is the sense of excitement that each are on track to win in November. We'll see what side is right on that one.

CATHY WURZER: So tell me about the speakers the rest of the week.

MARK ZDECHLIK: A lot of big name speakers, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Of course, we'll hear from Vice President Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, later this week.

Governor Walz is making his rounds at various delegation gatherings. We know he spoke to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Illinois delegate breakfasts today. And he popped in on special caucus meetings for Democrats from Native American, Black, and Asian Pacific Islander backgrounds.

Cathy, he's expected to drop in on the Minnesota delegation at some point, but officials are not providing any more on that for security reasons. We're starting off here on Monday what will be a very busy four days for Democrats in Chicago.

CATHY WURZER: All right, buckle in, Mark. I know you're going to be busy. Thank you.

MARK ZDECHLIK: Be well. Thanks.

CATHY WURZER: That's MPR's Mark Zdechlik, live from the DNC in Chicago.