The past few days have definitely shed light on the direction of the Democratic Party—as well as the identities of the candidates most poised to lead it into the future. While the main agenda of the Democratic National Convention was establishing Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as a leader, there were plenty of other skillful Democratic orators whose speeches set the tone for an energetic and election-ready convention. Below, meet five of the standout political players from this year's DNC, all of whom we're expecting to see more of.
Jasmine Crockett Crockett, a representative for Texas's 30th congressional district, displayed a dazzling gift for plain-spoken yet inspiring rhetoric during her DNC speech, noting that Harris "worked at McDonald's while she was at college in an HBCU," while her opponent, former president and 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump, "was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business." Roast him again! (Also, not to distract from Crockett's oratory powers, but the outfit? Perfection.) Hakeem Jeffries As the House Minority Leader, Jeffries is no stranger to speaking at Democratic events, but his likening of Trump to an old boyfriend—“Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.
Donald Trump can spin the block all he wants, but there’s no reason for us to ever get back together”—was a pitch-perfect Taylor Swift reference that ably embodied the defiant mood of the convention. Lateefah Simon .