Salem delegate sees renewed energy among Democrats ahead of DNC
Nathan Soltz has never seen Democrats so excited ahead of a national political convention.
Soltz, 27, is one of two Salem delegates who will select the party’s nominee for president ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago Aug. 19 to 22. It’s his third time serving as a delegate for Oregon.
President Joe Biden’s unprecedented decision last week to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee has cast a spotlight on the delegate voting process, normally a procedural step that confirms the results of state primary elections and caucuses.
Instead, delegates were free to back candidates of their choice.
Support quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris, including an announcement last week from the Democratic Party of Oregon that all the state’s delegates would vote for her.
It’s a moment of unity and enthusiasm Soltz said was absent from the 2016 convention, when divisions between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were deep.
“There’s definitely a lot more energy,” Soltz said. He was also a delegate in 2020, when the convention was held virtually.
Soltz is one of two Democratic delegates from Salem. He’s the secretary of the state party and chairs the party’s Jewish caucus.
State law requires delegates to support the candidate they are pledged to unless the candidate releases delegates from the pledge — something Biden did when he dropped out of the race July 21. Within days, Harris secured pledges from enough Democratic delegates to lock up the nomination, and no serious challenger has emerged.
Delegates will officially vote for a nominee in a virtual roll call ahead of the convention.
Soltz works as chief of staff for Oregon Sen. Lew Frederick and narrowly lost a Salem City Council race in May. He was lining up to march in the Portland Pride parade last Sunday with other LGBTQ Democrats when news of Biden’s decision began to make its way through the crowd. His boss texted him.
“People’s phones started going off,” he said. Soon, an organizer made an announcement so everyone could hear the news.
Soltz said it was a unifying moment. People lined up to watch the parade began chanting “Thank you, Joe.”
“As we marched the Pride parade, right off the bat from the very beginning, we were met with chants of ‘Kamala’ and ‘Harris, Harris,’” Soltz said. He said he knew immediately he’d be supporting Harris as a delegate.
That sentiment was widespread. Soltz said a call among the state’s Democratic delegates last week was mostly questions about procedure. The unanimous decision to back Harris as the nominee took up the least time, he said.
Soltz said he and other Democratic wonks are now discussing possible contenders for vice president. While he’ll back whoever Harris chooses, Soltz said he’s fond of Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“It would be pretty cool to have a Jewish vice president,” Soltz said.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
