NEW ULM — The Democratic National Convention is being held this week and nearly 4,000 delegates from across the country will take part in it.
This year New Ulm resident Theresa Keaveny will serve as delegate from Minnesota’s First Congressional District 1.
Keaveny became a national delegate by being elected on the local level. She was elected by the Brown County DFL during the county convention on March 7. After being elected on the county level she was elected again from among others in the district. She was also a member of the DFL rural caucus which works to get rural issues prioritized at the state convention.
“It is an honor to represent a rural area like the First Congressional District,” she said. “It is because I care about family-farm agriculture and our rural communities that I thought this would be an opportunity to have a voice in our platform.”
The purpose of the national convention is to gather delegates to officially vote on the Democratic presidential ticket and also vote on the party platform –the policies the party will stand for.
There are 91 delegates from Minnesota at the national convention and Keaveny said these delegates represent diverse backgrounds.
“I think so often people think it is urban and rural,” she said, “but with the Minnesota delegation I cannot tell the difference because the delegates are saying the same things about what they want to see change and why they are supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Keaveny serves as a whip for the Biden delegation, meaning she calls and emails the other Biden delegates to make sure they attend meetings or cast ballots.
Each morning delegate meetings are held by Zoom. Throughout the days there are caucus meetings. Tuesday morning Keaveny was part of the rural caucus. In the afternoon she took part in the Native American caucus. A women’s caucus was held Monday night.
“It is grassroots organizing,” Keaveny said. “That’s what we bring as delegates.”
The convention also helps motivates delegates to spread the campaign message on the local level.
A top plank in the rural caucus is strong support for family farmers and local food producers. COVID-19 raised interest in local foods and has shown how vulnerable the food processing system is. The platform also calls for safety in the food processing plants for the workers and for greater public investment in meat processing.
Trade is another important part of the rural caucus platform.
“When the president began working on trade, he didn’t complete the job,” Keaveny said. “Instead farmers lost markets they established, trade partners they cultivated. We would like to get a president who has skills in communication and can negotiate.”
An overarching issue is healthcare. Keaveny said it transcends all the caucuses. Access to affordable healthcare is a priority of the rural caucus. There is an effort to protect the pre-existing conditions provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
President Donald Trump’s attack on the U.S. Postal Service has been another reoccurring topic at the convention.
“The president has been clear he doesn’t want people voting by mail,” Keaveny said.
Keaveny has experience with voting by mail from her time in Montana. The majority of citizens choose to vote by mail. Audits are done after elections and certification is done. Claims of voter fraud are not true.
Keaveny said Trump’s attack on the postal service is a direct attack on rural people who need it for supplies, medicine and farm equipment. Also, people of all political stripes vote by mail.
“The most important thing we do is carry the message of the Biden candidacy and further down the ticket — Sen. Tina Smith, House candidate Dan Feehan — and work for their election in our community.”
This year this is done through a phone call, encouraging voter registration and obtaining absentee ballots.
COVID made the national convention very different. It was scheduled to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but was moved online. Keaveny said this did not change delegate enthusiasm.
“We all know how important this election is,” she said. “We all want to have a voice in the selection of Joe Biden as Democratic nominee.”
The Democratic National Convention goes through Thursday.
