CHICAGO — Freshman Rep. Jasmine Crockett has gone viral more than once since she was sworn in last year and joined the House Oversight Committee, an intensely partisan venue where she has sparred with GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Crockett’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, in which she choked up describing feelings of self-doubt when she first met Vice President Kamala Harris, is likely to elevate her profile. And that’s something Crockett isn’t looking forward to.
“I absolutely am not excited about that part,” Crockett, D-Texas, said after exiting the United Center stage. “It’s still been very difficult for me to adjust to the fact that people know who I am in the first place.”
Even so, Crockett said being able to connect with young girls is important, especially as excitement grows about Harris possibly becoming the first woman president. Crockett said she recently met a 15-year-old girl in an airport who started crying upon meeting her.
“I’m like, ‘Seriously? Like we’re crying over me?’” she said. “But it was a young Black girl and I can only imagine, all girls of all colors, how much pride they will feel once we finally break this last glass ceiling in this country.”
Crockett’s team paid for a party back in the 30th District so supporters at home could watch her moment on Monday. In her nearly 10-minute speech, Crockett, who was a defense attorney and served one term in the Texas Legislature before she was elected to the House in 2022, highlighted Harris’ record as a prosecutor, contrasting it with Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions.
“She became a career prosecutor while he became a career criminal,” Crockett said. “Kamala Harris has a résumé. Donald Trump has a rap sheet.”
But she also sought to highlight Harris’ compassion, telling a story of how Harris comforted a visibly nervous Crockett as a new member of Congress visiting the U.S. Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence.
Crockett told reporters that after she began serving in Congress, she began questioning her decision to leave her legal career because she felt like she wasn’t getting anything done. She had won a crowded Democratic primary in 2022 but said she often wondered, “Why am I here?” — which also led to guilt related to the doubts she felt about serving in Congress.
A prime-time convention speaking slot can help boost political careers, putting a spotlight on rising stars or allies of the nominee. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was thrust into political fame when she defeated New York Rep. Joseph Crowley in a 2018 primary, received huge applause in the United Center. California Rep. Robert Garcia, another freshman, also addressed the arena earlier in the night.
But the stage in one of the country’s largest arenas is strikingly different from Capitol’s Hill’s committee rooms.
“I just didn’t want to mess up. You know the stakes are so high and it’s all the superstars that are on this stage, and here it is, I just got here and I don’t consider myself to be a superstar,” Crockett said.
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