ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
OK, our first story starts not in Chicago, but actually in Milwaukee, where I met up with some folks yesterday at the start of their journey to the DNC.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. Let's take a listen.
SHAPIRO: The Milwaukee Amtrak station is full of people lined up to go to Chicago, and that includes the delegation from Wisconsin, this crucial swing state. This is almost a metaphorical passing of the torch because last month, the Republicans met here in Milwaukee. The Democrats, of course, this week are meeting in Chicago, and we are taking the train from one city to the other. Someone is loudly singing "Here Comes The Sun," which I don't think is with political intentions, but it does feel like it could have been chosen for this moment when Democrats feel excited about their prospects.
ANN JACOBS: I brought all my voting pins.
SHAPIRO: Many of the delegates have Harris for President T-shirts on, but Ann Jacobs has more than just a shirt. She's got a bag full of pins.
This is the Hillary button in the style of Andy Warhol.
JACOBS: Right, that's from 2016. My LGBT.
SHAPIRO: This is her third Democratic National Convention. She says every one is special in its own way, but now that President Biden has stepped aside for Vice President Kamala Harris, this one is uncharted territory.
JACOBS: I certainly was not in favor of a jungle primary or an open primary. I didn't think that would be helpful, and I didn't think that would be healthy. And we all talked about it, as a Milwaukee delegation, that we felt it was really important to come out immediately for Vice President Harris as the candidate.
SHAPIRO: These Wisconsin delegates represent different generations, races, religions and occupations. They are all enthusiastic about Harris, but many share Ann Jacobs' complicated emotions about Biden stepping down.
You say you were not in favor of a jungle primary. After that debate, were you in favor of him dropping out, or did it take you a while to come around?
JACOBS: I was not in favor of him dropping out, in the sense that he was a grown-up who was going to make his own decisions. And he said he was staying in, and I was 100% in support of that. And then he said, "It's time for me to go." And I have to respect the man and his decisions, and, therefore, I support that.
SHAPIRO: The last convention delegate Chris Sinicki went to was in 2000, when Al Gore was on the ballot. She decided to come to this one when Biden was still at the top of the ticket.
CHRIS SINICKI: I've always had a very soft spot in my heart for Joe Biden.
SHAPIRO: So how do you feel about the fact that he's not the nominee now?
SINICKI: At first, it was - I think I cried a little bit, but it was for the best. I mean, this is a election that we absolutely have to win.
SHAPIRO: Is it going to be tough to see him give that speech Monday night?
SINICKI: I think it's going to be very tough. Yeah, I think I'm going to tear up (laughter).
SHAPIRO: Do you think he was given a fair shake?
SINICKI: That's a tough question to answer. I think people had some legitimate concerns. Let's put it that way. And they went to him with their concerns, and he responded in the way he felt was right.
SHAPIRO: The national response to Harris has been unprecedented. In the first few days of her campaign, she broke records for fundraising and volunteer sign-ups. Now, this convention in Chicago is the first chance we have to see what that translates to when people from all over the country gather in person.
CHRIS WALTON: This is kind of like - I was talking to the folks earlier - it was like, it's kind of like Christmas Eve and the Super Bowl at the same time and there's a family reunion going on and...
SHAPIRO: The first time Chris Walton was old enough to vote was for Barack Obama in 2008, and the excitement he feels now reminds him of those days.
WALTON: The energy - everybody's so excited. Just seeing so many people actually coming out, people who never really discussed politics before, suddenly this is a everyday topic that people - everybody was engaged in.
SHAPIRO: It's time to board the train. Everyone is taking selfies, fielding phone calls, comparing notes on the week ahead.
JACOBS: I'm just saying hi long enough to say I'm on the train to Chicago for the DNC.
SHAPIRO: I'm curious. Like, there are people from 50 states going to this convention, but most of those states are not going to determine the outcome of this election, and Wisconsin very well could. Is there any part of you that feels like, oh, well, Massachusetts, Maryland, you're all well and good, but we're actually going to decide this thing, and you're not.
(LAUGHTER)
SHAPIRO: Chris Sinicki jumps in.
SINICKI: The road to the White House definitely goes right through Wisconsin.
SHAPIRO: Not to toot your own horn, but...
SINICKI: Not to toot our own horn, but...
SHAPIRO: 'Cause that's not a Wisconsin thing to do.
SINICKI: No, not at all. But, you know, Wisconsin Democrats know how to win an election.
SHAPIRO: There's pride in being from a swing state and also pressure. As the train gets closer to the city of Chicago, Deiadra Queary tells me she is definitely feeling that pressure.
DEIADRA QUEARY: It's one thing to be excited about where we are, but then it's another thing to know that we got to get out there and put in the work. You got to get the voters out.
SHAPIRO: Every day, she goes to visit her 101-year-old grandmother Arnecie in an assisted-living facility. Born in 1923, Arnecie was part of the great migration of Black families to the North. And even though her grandmother has memory problems, Deiadra says she understands the significance of Harris at the top of the ballot.
QUEARY: She's absolutely present.
SHAPIRO: So she understands that a...
QUEARY: Oh, absolutely.
SHAPIRO: ...Black woman is at the top of the ticket...
QUEARY: Oh, we talk about it.
SHAPIRO: ...For the Democratic Party?
QUEARY: I tell her...
SHAPIRO: What does she say?
QUEARY: We got to vote. You got to make sure you take me down there to vote.
SHAPIRO: Being a delegate to this convention feels monumental, she says.
QUEARY: Being proud that I was chosen for a time such as this. Like, why me at this time? - feeling that I have a job to do.
SHAPIRO: Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, appears on the skyline. One of the delegates shouts, let the fun begin. We're here.
AUTOMATED VOICE: We are now approaching our final destination, Chicago.
SHAPIRO: The train pulls into the station.
SINICKI: I'm so excited. We're going to be making history.
SHAPIRO: And as everyone gathers their bags, one of the passengers who's been overhearing the conversation turns to the Wisconsin delegation and says, you guys go do it for us, OK?
WISCONSIN DELEGATION: We will (laughter). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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