Dingell sees wave of excitement, protests coming at Democratic National Convention

The Democratic Party is set to anoint Kamala Harris as its presidential nominee this week in Chicago.

And many of Michigan’s highest-profile officials plan to be there as the Vice President begins the stretch run of the election. Those officials include Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a long-time influential voice in Democratic politics.

Dingell says her party enters the convention riding a wave of excitement and navigating a few bumps in the electoral road.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell: I hope people are going to come together in a unified way to support this ticket — Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz. I think there could be some protests. We come from a state where there are people that are really hurting on both sides. But this is an opportunity for Democrats to come together from around the country in what is going to be a tough fight. There is no question this election could go either way. I am someone who recognizes this is a competitive race still right now.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: When you mention, “people on both sides,” you’re referring to protests over the Israel-Gaza situation?

I am. There are many people in many of the communities I’ve lived in and still represent, who are hurting over the death of thousands of innocent lives. But we also have many people in Michigan who are related in some way to hostages that are still being held after what happened in Israel on October 7th. There are very strong feelings on both sides. Everybody is hurting in Michigan. We play a unique role in these issues.

“I still believe that Michigan is a purple state.” – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

When you talk about the presidential ticket specifically, a lot of people say how energized it seems on the Democratic side since President Biden stepped aside. Are you sensing that?

There’s no question that there’s a new energy out there. You saw it in the rally when Vice President Harris made her first appearance in Michigan after having announced Gov. Walz as her running mate. You see it when we organize and have kickoffs for door knocking and telephone banks. And you see it when you’re out in the community at events. People come up and want to talk about it. They’re excited. And that’s good.

You said at that Harris-Walz rally you felt a lot more confident now about Michigan remaining blue this year. Why is that?

I feel better than I did in August of 2016. At that time I was very concerned that Donald Trump was going to win and Hillary Clinton was going to lose. And nobody believed me. I still believe that Michigan is a purple state. We have to educate voters. We have to make the comparison for people between the two presidential candidates on policy issues that matter.

And most importantly, we have to turn out the vote. In 2016, I was in union halls and I heard how people felt about trade and their jobs having been shipped overseas. Now I hear an energy that I haven’t, quite frankly, heard in a while. But there are still a lot of people who are worried about the economy. We really have to talk about what Donald Trump will do and the tax cuts he wants to give billionaires. And how Vice President Harris And Gov. Walz want to help everyday working families.

Are you more confident in how the election is going now in Michigan because Vice President Harris is at the top of the ticket, rather than President Biden?

I love Joe Biden, I want to say that very clearly I think he was a great president. I don’t like circular firing squads. But there clearly is a new energy right now.

There haven’t been many recent conventions where the sitting president declines to run. A lot of people keep comparing it to some of the things that happened in 1968. Obviously there were other factors involved at that point. But do you see any parallels between then and now?

I was not at that convention, but I think there are a lot of similarities. And I’m very concerned about some of the protests that might occur. But we will see. I think there is more excitement and unity now than we have seen in a while. I think we spend too much time pitting us against each other with division.

I was at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which took place right after the shooting against former President Trump. All of a sudden the theme there became uniting the country and coalescing together around their specific candidate. It’s seemed so politically divided for so long now, is it actually possible to really unite around any candidate at this point?

We need to do that. We’ve got to as a country. Remember, united we stand, divided we fall. In elections, you can disagree with each other without hating each other. God gave us two ears and one mouth to listen more and talk less. I’m hoping that at the end of this election, we can find ways to bring ourselves together. I always work across the aisle. I believe in working with my Republican colleagues. I can learn from them and they can learn from me. So I’m never going to give up.

I’ve known Gov. Walz for a very long time. His wife is one of my close friends. He is somebody who comes from the Midwest and works with everybody. So does the Vice President. But Walz is somebody who has really gotten things done in Minnesota, like our governor has in Michigan. And you get that done by bringing people together, not by pitting them against each other.

The parties will always put together a platform as they head towards a convention. Often the candidate just seems to go their own way no matter what’s in the platform. Do you think it’s really important now for a party to have a platform that they would debut at a convention?

I’m probably more skeptical than many about what the platform really stands for. I do think Democrats are very strong in standing up for a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, that the government doesn’t belong in health care decisions being made between a woman, her doctor, her faith and others in any way.

Donald Trump brags about the fact that Roe v. Wade being overturned is one of his proudest accomplishments. But then he didn’t want anything in the Republican platform about that position, because he knew that a lot of women don’t like it. I think what really does matter is what we deliver on as elected officials. I think you should listen to what the candidates are running on — what they say they’re going to fight for and hold them accountable after they’re in office for what they do or do not do.