New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim reflects on cleaning the Capitol after Jan. 6 at the DNC: ‘All of us are caretakers’
U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, also addressed the convention Wednesday night, paying tribute to her grandmother's North Philly church.
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U.S. Rep Andy Kim of New Jersey opened his speech Wednesday before the Democratic National Convention with the story of the first time he brought his sons to the U.S. Capitol building.
When he asked his sons if they loved the Capitol, his young son Austin responded: “I love the Capitol, and lowercase, too.”
Shortly after, things took a much more somber turn, when on January 6, 2021, a mob stormed the same Capitol building.
Kim, who is now vying in November for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Bob Menendez, gained national attention following the attack on the Capitol for his decision that night to grab a trash bag and begin cleaning up debris.
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Speaking to the DNC crowd, Kim recalled that moment.
“What I learned on January 6 is that all of us, all of us are caretakers of our great Republic,” Kim said. “We can heal this country, but only if we try.”
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Issuing a plea for voters to pick Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nation’s next president, Kim insisted that the chaos of the current political moment could subside.
”As a father, I refuse to believe that our kids are doomed to grow up in a broken America,” he said.
Kim’s colleague, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, also addressed the convention Wednesday night, speaking about “bright hope,” the name of the church her grandmother attended in Philadelphia for seven decades. Bright Hope is the name of a Baptist church in North Philadelphia that was founded in 1911.
”It’s not just a name, it’s how I approach my life,” Rochester said.
Bright hope, Rochester said, can be seen in Black entrepreneurs and investments in economic opportunities and affordable housing.
”Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “bright hope is four words: Madame President Kamala Harris.”