The Democratic National Convention this week will be an entirely virtual affair because of concerns about gathering in Milwaukee in amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The party’s announcement that the convention would be fully remote came shortly after Joe Biden said earlier this month he would not travel to Milwaukee to accept the party’s presidential nomination.
The Vermont Democratic Party said it was prepared for the possibility that none of its 24 delegates would make the trip to Wisconsin.
“Vermont’s delegation is excited as ever, even though they won’t be traveling to Milwaukee,” R. Christopher Di Mezzo, a spokesperson for the Vermont Democratic Party, said in a statement. Di Mezzo said the state party is working with “partners across the country” to set up virtual events for the delegates.
The Democratic Party said the infrastructure is in place for a completely virtual convention Aug. 17-20. The party had already planned for a majority of speeches and events to be pre-recorded or streamed from different locations across the country in what it called a “Convention Across America.”
“From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first,” Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. “That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House.”
Vermont’s delegates — five awarded to Biden, 11 to Sen. Bernie Sanders and eight unpledged — were announced in late June.
The Biden delegates are Brenda Churchill, the Statehouse liaison for LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont; Aimee Alexander, who has been assistant chair of the Orleans County Democratic Party; Andrew Champagne of Burlington, who has long been involved in Democratic politics; Carolyn Dwyer, who has been Sen. Patrick Leahy’s campaign manager for his last four re-election bids and also headed Rep. Peter Welch’s efforts in 2006 and 2008; and Alison Liebly of Woodstock.
Sanders delegates are Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County NAACP; Kayla Arena, who has worked for the progressive organization Rights & Democracy; Jim Dandeneau, former House campaign manager for the Vermont Democratic Party; Noah Detzer, a public school teacher in Milton and National Education Association union organizer; Linda Gravell, Washington County Democratic chair; Kate Larose, who ran for the Vermont House in 2018 in Franklin County; Bruce Olsson, chair of the Lamoille County Democrats; Olivia Peña, an Emerge Vermont alum and Burlington Democrat; Brian Pine, a longtime former CEDO employee and current Progressive city councilor; Maria Rinaldi, a delegate in 2016; and Lisa Ryan, former first vice president of the Rutland Area NAACP.
Vermont’s unpledged delegates are Vermont Democratic Party Chair Terje Anderson, who recently announced his resignation, former Gov. Howard Dean, party vice chair Tim Jerman, Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, Burlington state Rep. Mary Sullivan, former Barre City state Rep. Tess Taylor and Rep. Peter Welch.
Di Mezzo said Anderson is an unpledged delegate because his resignation is not final until a new chair is elected. According to Vermont Democratic Party bylaws, that selection cannot take place for at least 30 days after a resignation notice is submitted.
In his letter of resignation, Anderson said he would vote for Sanders at the convention but will support Biden.
“As chair of the Vermont Democratic Party, I will be casting my ballot for our own Sen. Bernie Sanders, the winner of the Vermont presidential primary,” Anderson wrote. When Joe Biden and his vice-presidential choice Kamala Harris are nominated, he said he will be “proudly joining in with Democrats everywhere in rallying to elect them in November.”
Sanders and Biden have worked to cultivate unity in the Democratic Party, going so far as to establish “unity task forces” with representatives from each camp to develop policy platforms.
“While Joe Biden and I, and our supporters, have strong disagreements about some of the most important issues facing our country, we also understand that we must come together in order to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history,” Sanders said last month. “I look forward to working with Vice President Biden to help him win this campaign and to move this country forward toward economic, racial, social, and environmental justice.”
The task forces encompass climate change, criminal justice reform, the economy, education, immigration, and health care.
However, in a rebuke of Sanders’ signature proposal, Medicare for All, the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee voted 125-36 to reject the single-payer plan. The panel also rejected separate proposals to expand Medicare to children and all people over 55, and to legalize marijuana — another policy Sanders has pushed for.
Medicare for All will still be voted on by nearly 4,000 Democratic delegates by mail ahead of the virtual Democratic National Convention. More than 600 delegates have vowed to oppose any platform that does not include Medicare for All, according to The Wall Street Journal, and all four of Sanders’ presidential campaign co-chairs issued a statement supporting delegates continuing to fight to include Medicare for All in the Democratic policy platform for 2020.
“We stand with the grassroots activists who understand that the party must stand for extending Medicare to everyone,” said the four co-chairs — former Ohio state senator Nina Turner; U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen; and Yulin Cruz, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
