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DELAWARE, Ohio – It's an Elizabeth Warren-Stacey Abrams ticket for Ohio Wesleyan University as students concluded their two-day Democratic Mock Presidential Convention today.
U.S. Sen. Warren of Massachusetts was selected as the Mock Convention's presidential nominee following a run-off election with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. Also nominated for the top spot were former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
No run-off was needed to select a vice presidential running mate for Warren, with former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams easily defeating Carter, Sanders, and former first lady Michelle Obama. (Buttigieg and Klobuchar also earned vice presidential nominations, but their nominators chose to throw their support behind Abrams.)
Abrams gained national attention when she lost the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election to Republican Brian Kemp amid allegations of voter suppression. Because he was Georgia's secretary of state at the time of the election, Kemp effectively oversaw the race in which he was running. Abrams has since founded Fair Fight 2020, an organization created to help create Democratic voter protection operations in 18 states.
During the Mock Convention, Ohio Wesleyan students also debated and amended a party platform, which outlines suggested Democratic positions on leading issues of the day.
They also heard an opening message from David Pepper, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, who urged them to get involved to help impact vital issues including climate change, gun violence, student debt, and gerrymandering.
"You have to get involved now, not later," Pepper said. "The number one thing … involves the energy of everyone here. … Get involved, register, vote."
Mock Convention attendees also heard a prepared statement from U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Columbus and watched video clips created for the OWU event by U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown and 1962 Ohio Wesleyan alumna and civil rights activist Mary King.
In her video message, King discussed working for civil rights in the 1960s, including serving with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and taking part in the "Freedom Summer" of Mississippi in 1964. King urged the current Ohio Wesleyan students not to let their constitutional and human rights be "corroded, corrupted, and destroyed."
Brown said he knew some of the students were looking at him and thinking, "OK, Boomer," but he praised them for participating in activities such as Mock Convention.
"You're not just showing up," Brown said, "you're leading the way. …Push for progress. Change our country for the better."
Because the event always features the party out of the White House, the 2020 Mock Convention focused on the Democratic race. The theme of this year's Mock Convention was "This Future is Ours." Learn more at www.owu.edu/mockconvention or www.facebook.com/OWUMock.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 25 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan's signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "best colleges" lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.
