Lt. Gov. Austin Davis addresses the DNC about Pa.’s infrastructure: ‘We got I-95 fixed in less than two weeks’
"Right now, we’re repairing roads and bridges across Pennsylvania," Davis told delegates at the Democratic National Convention.
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Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis made his national stage debut at the Democratic National Committee on Monday to boast the infrastructure investments — including the speedy rebuilding of I-95 last year — made under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Davis, 34, is the youngest lieutenant governor in the nation and Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor.
But when he took the stage in Chicago, he was quick to highlight his humble upbringing in McKeesport, a small city outside Pittsburgh.
”I’m the proud son of a Pittsburgh bus driver,” David said. “Every day, my dad would come home and tell me about how our roads and bridges were in disrepair.”
Now the No. 2 official in Pennsylvania, he related how — with the leadership, he said, of the Biden Administration — elected officials rebuilt I-95 in Philadelphia in less than two weeks and a collapsed Pittsburgh bridge in “record time.”
» READ MORE: Read more: Meet Austin Davis, who was prepared to become Pa.’s governor if Josh Shapiro became VP
”Right now, we’re repairing roads and bridges across Pennsylvania, including in Pittsburgh, the City of Bridges,” Davis said. “And Vice President Harris is looking forward. She’s committed to keeping our infrastructure safe and modern.”
Members of the Pennsylvania delegation, who are seated in the very front of the arena, took photos and cheered for Davis as he spoke. He took some celebratory selfies with them afterward, including with his former colleagues in the state House, Reps. Regina Young (D., Philadelphia) and Gina Curry (D., Delaware).
Davis kicked off brief, joint remarks with two other lieutenant governors and a Texas judge as part of as part of joint remarks to talk about how the Biden-Harris Administration has laid the groundwork for future generations.
The Democrat was elected in 2022 on a ticket with Gov. Josh Shapiro and serves as his lieutenant governor. At 34, he’s the youngest lieutenant governor in the country, the highest-ranking Black official in the state, a new dad, and a Western Pennsylvania native who has spent much of his life advocating against gun violence.