CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday morning in Chicago. Thousands of delegates from across the country are gathered this week to nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for president and vice president.
Below is a primer on local delegates to the convention, and a list of all the delegates from New York.
How many delegates are there from New York State?
There are 307 delegates from New York State attending the DNC. The delegation includes At-Large, Party Leader Elected Officials (PLEOs), Automatic, and District Delegate positions.
At-large delegates represent New York on the state level. PLEOs include state and local elected officials, mayors and party leaders. Automatic delegates include major government leaders, often representing New York on the federal level, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former President Bill Clinton, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. District delegates are elected at either the congressional or state district level.
Six delegates are from New York’s 22nd Congressional District, which encompasses Syracuse and Utica.
- Rita Paniagua is an at-large Syracuse Common Council member who was elected in 2023 and assumed office on Jan. 1 of this year. According to her council profile, she is involved with many state and local organizations, such as the New York State Council of the Arts, Interfaith Works, and Cancer Connects.
- James “Jimmy” Monto III is the 5th District Common Councilor in Syracuse. Monto was also elected in 2023 and assumed office at the start of the year. According to his council profile, Monto is involved with public transportation, finance, public safety and public works matters.
- Mitchell “Mitch” Ford is the chair of the Oneida County Democratic Committee.
- Diane M. Dwire is the former chairwoman of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee. She ran for New York State Assembly District 126 in 2016 but lost to Republican Gary Finch. In addition to her political involvement, Dwire is a retired nurse.
- Frank Deriso is the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local One, which represents workers in Upstate New York and Northern Pennsylvania.
- Margaret Anne “Peggy” Chase is an Onondaga County Legislator. Chase represents the 9th district and is involved with the Eastwood Neighborhood Association, Women’s Initiative Now and the Central New York National Organization of Women, according to her legislator profile. Chase is also a retired nurse and an advocate for local hospitals.
What does a delegate do?
A delegate’s main responsibility is to nominate the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates. Delegates are also responsible for attending meetings led by caucus leaders and council chairs. Caucuses include the Black Caucus, the LGBTQ+ Caucus and the Disability Caucus, while council meetings include the Ethnic Council, the Rural Council and the Veterans & Military Families Council.
What is on a delegate’s schedule?
According to the DNC schedule, delegates begin each day of the convention at 7 a.m. to eat breakfast while listening to top leadership related to each state’s delegation. Around 9:30 a.m., delegates attend caucuses and council meetings at McCormick Place until 3:15 p.m.
Doors to the United Center, where the main stage is located, open at 4 p.m. Evening programming begins at around 5:30 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. from Monday through Thursday. All times are in Central Time.
Are delegates paid?
Delegates are not paid for attending the convention and are largely responsible for all fees related to their attendance. The Federal Elections Committee strictly prohibits corporations, including nonprofit organizations, labor organizations, federal contractors, foreign nationals and contributions from one person in the name of another from donating money to support a delegate’s convection-related expenses.
Who is going from NY?
Below is a list of all 307 delegates selected to represent New York at the convention.
Anna Ginelli is a senior journalism student at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She is part of a group of student journalists providing coverage of the DNC for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.
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