In largest annual Illinois rally, Democrats reflect on surge of enthusiasm with Harris atop ticket

SPRINGFIELD – Democrats gathered in Springfield Wednesday for their annual rally at the Illinois State Fair amid a surge of enthusiasm and a renewed sense of optimism about their chances of retaining the White House in November.

“There’s a new level of energy in this effort,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters just before the traditional Democratic County Chairs’ Association fundraising brunch Wednesday morning. “You can’t buy it. You can’t fake it. It’s for real.”

That renewed sense of excitement has come about just in the last few weeks. On July 21, following a disastrous debate performance that raised doubts about his ability to serve another term, President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run in his place.

Harris, whose own short-lived campaign in 2020 ended before the first primary ballots were cast, quickly consolidated support from party leaders and donors, as well as delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Now, just days ahead of the DNC in Chicago, the most recent New York Times poll shows her in a statistical dead heat with her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, and enjoying a razor-thin advantage in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

That marks a dramatic change in fortune since Biden’s withdrawal just 3 ½ weeks earlier, when the New York Times’ average of national polls showed the incumbent trailing Trump by 3 points.

“Right person at the right time in a historic election,” Durbin said of the sudden shift. “That’s it.”

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said he has seen the change in enthusiasm as well, and expressed hope that it will reach into down-ballot races, enabling Democrats to expand their already-existing super majority in the General Assembly.

“I saw something similar in polling in ’22 after the Dobbs decision came down,” he said, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and declared there is no constitutional right to an abortion. “But this seems to be even more of a bounce, and we’re not even at the convention yet, so I expect it to continue.”