The Honorable Harvey Gantt's Speech Before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, July 29, 2004

BOSTON, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of the Honorable Harvey Gantt's speech before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, July 29, 2004:

Fellow Democrats, ladies and gentlemen: I'm Harvey Gantt. I'm from North Carolina, and I stand here humbled, honored, and proud to place in nomination for the office of vice-president of the United States of America, my friend and my senator from the great state of North Carolina: John Edwards.

I'm so pleased, and I'm sure most of you delegates feel the same, that our nominee and next president, John Kerry, had the wisdom, foresight and courage to tell this convention and the nation that he wanted John Edwards as his running mate.

Now I've only known John for about ten years, and yet we share so much. We were both born in South Carolina before we moved up north, which for us, was North Carolina. We have both been activists and eyewitnesses to marked social changes in our region. We've grown up, raised our families, and educated our children in a region where change -- social, economic, and racial -- has been palpable and easy to see.

John Edwards comes from working folk, just like me. John Edwards worked hard and excelled to get his education, just like me. When you are raised, as John Edwards was, in a small town like Robbins, North Carolina, you get to understand poverty and unemployment, or inadequate health care, first-hand by seeing the daily struggles of your friends and neighbors.

This is a man who knows from whence he has come. He knows education can make a difference in people's lives. He knows a decent job paying a livable wage can help to build strong families. He knows that the solvency of Medicare and Social Security for our seniors may be the difference between a retirement of worry and one of dignity.

No, I haven't known John Edwards my whole life, but the lives we've lived and the values we share have taught me that you can be a soul mate before you meet. He cares deeply about building a more united America: one America. His vision is an America devoid of the lines between the haves and the have-nots. His vision is an America where race is an honest dialogue in our communities; where we seek to heal the racial divisions that keep holding us back from becoming the America we need to be.

In the 90's, I ran two Senate campaigns in North Carolina that many of you may remember. My opponent ran a campaign of divisiveness. I firmly believed that an appeal to our best instincts as citizens, harnessing our hopes and aspirations, could free us from the perils of poverty, ignorance, and bigotry.

The fact that my state chose as its senator John Edwards, has vindicated the beliefs I held in those earlier campaigns. His positive campaigns, his optimistic outlook, and his can-do spirit have infused and invigorated us all. He appeals to our best hopes, not our worst fears. John Edwards makes us all proud to be Americans, and those of us from North Carolina, are even more proud to claim him for he represents the best that we can offer America at a time when strong, positive leadership is needed.

America gets a vice-presidential candidate whose values fit hand and glove with John Kerry. America gets a man who will wake up every morning thinking about how he can help President Kerry bring the promise of America home to working families. America's families will get a man who will advocate for their values, their hopes, and their aspirations to succeed! He is a father; he is a friend; he is a leader; and he is my senator.

Mr. Chairman, fellow Democrats, ladies and gentlemen: I am pleased as a friend, and proud as a North Carolinian, to nominate John Edwards as our next vice-president of these United States.

Source: Democratic National Convention Committee

CONTACT:  Peggy Wilhide of the Democratic National Convention Committee,
+1-617-366-3100

Web site:  http://www.dems2004.org/