HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Vice President Kamala Harris will take the stage to accept her party's nomination to close out the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Amongst the crowd is thousands of delegates; a few hail from Central Georgia.
Kristen Kiefer, a Houston County democrat and chairwoman, is among the few delegates representing Central Georgia, says nights one through three have been very productive and exciting, and she can't wait to bring the momentum back home.
Kiefer is a delegate at-large and this is her first time at the Democratic National Convention. She says she didn't originally place intention on running.
"I was not originally intending to run because you know this is a very busy election year and we've got so much to do," Kiefer said.
Kiefer has no regrets about running and securing the win. She says the democratic convention atmosphere surpassed her expectation.
"It's intense, right?" Kiefer said while smiling. " ... It's electric being down there on the floor. It's really amazing, and you get to be a part of history."
She said while she feels President Joe Biden could have successfully served another term, her and other democrats are in full support of Kamala Harris, adding volunteer efforts increased following the nomination announcement.
"Everything changed for us on the ground, we've had so many more people contact us, wanting to be involved," Kiefer said.
But Kiefer says the coolest part is living through history. She said she can't wait to be in the crowd when Harris accepts the nomination.
"We've never had a formal - a major party nominate a woman for president and I'm incredibly excited to be in that room and get to experience that energy with everyone," Kiefer said.
She can't wait to bring the high energy back to Houston County; she says though most of Houston votes red, right now she feels confident in those who vote blue.
"I think there's more of us out there than anybody knows," Kiefer said. "You know as far as the democratic elections go, our job is to bring in the margins and that's exactly what we plan to do."
Congressman Sanford Bishop agrees with Kiefer. He represents parts of Houston and Bibb counties. He says this 2024 democratic campaign is more energized than ever.
"People are energizing, they're volunteering, they're contributing in a way that we've not seen in generations," Bishop said. "So this is - this is excitement."
Kiefer is joined by Henry Ficklin (Macon), Quentin Howell and Latonya Williams-Howell (Baldwin County).