Rep. Russell celebrates superdelegate win, preaches unity in DNC address

Speaking to the delegates of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia yesterday, Maine State Representative Diane Russell celebrated the success of her resolution to bind superdelegates to state votes in future elections.

“We are united, and fixing the super-delegate system is the path to making sure our party is the strongest party, not just this fall, but in the generations to come,” said Russell, a prominent supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders who helped lead the movement to change the Democratic primary process.

She also reminded the crowd of the stakes of the November election.

“Paul LePage is my governor. I do not need to see anyone like him become the president of this United States,” she said. “Despite any differences we may hold, we all know in our heart of hearts, a Donald Trump presidency will not just hurt our Party, it will hurt our people, and I am not OK with that.”

“I will always stand strong with Bernie Sanders and will also do everything I can this fall to elect Hillary so that we have a Democrat in the White House. It is time to get to work on building a higher minimum wage, on expanding Social Security, on ensuring equal pay for women, and on making sure that the next generation is not saddled with the same level of student debt that my generation is,” said Russell, who lost her primary bid for a state senate seat last month.

Russell also quoted Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter, which has garnered some additional national attention for her speech.

Mike Tipping

About Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.