Frederica Freyberg:
Nearly 100 Wisconsin residents served as delegates at the DNC in Chicago this week. For many of them, this wasn’t their first Democratic National Convention. “Here & Now” reporter Steven Potter met up with a longtime Portage County delegate for his perspective on the experience.

Gary Hawley:
For democracy, this is the most important election, and I want to go and talk with my veterans’ friends there, get the veterans out doing doors and everything possible to make sure that Harris and Walz win. So that’s, that’s why I’m going.

Steven Potter:
Earlier this week, Gary Hawley and his daughter Kim packed up their bags to head to Chicago. Hawley is attending the Democratic National Convention as a Wisconsin delegate from Portage County.

Gary Hawley:
We’re ready to go.

Steven Potter:
And the small village of Whiting, just outside Stevens Point.

Gary Hawley:
This is my eighth convention, probably my last, but I’m lucky that my daughter came again. She came 24 years ago with me, but she got so enthused about Vice President Harris that she asked if she could come along again. And that’s the best thing for me to have my daughter along again.

Steven Potter:
Hawley has just one word to describe the DNC in Chicago so far.

Gary Hawley:
Energetic. It’s just so many great speeches last night. Every one of them were — just energized you and you just kept getting more and more energized. Lasted til pretty late because we have to party afterwards, you know, so but it was a good time.

Steven Potter:
Hawley’s first Democratic National Convention was also in Chicago 28 years ago back in 1996. Over the years, he’s learned to take advantage of the face time he has with politicians to explain to them what’s happening in rural Wisconsin.

Gary Hawley:
You could be walking down the hall here and talking to the governor. It gives you a better chance to get your ideas out or Portage County ideas. That’s important. If you don’t get your county party’s ideas and issues and stuff out to these elected officials, they don’t know about it.

Steven Potter:
But Hawley says that his job as delegate isn’t just to spread information, but to gather it and bring it home.

Gary Hawley:
There’s a lot of caucuses to go to learn what’s going on. Meeting with other Democrats just to get all the information and bring it back to our county parties and help our county parties discuss what’s going on.

Steven Potter:
Conventions are also a place to network and get support, even from across state lines and that’s important for Portage County, which is a Democratic island.

Gary Hawley:
We’re blue but we need help. We got to get the rest of the counties around us blue, too. I have talked with the Minnesota Veteran Caucus. They’re willing to come over. One of the reasons is their governor could be vice president, if we get the ten points from Wisconsin. So I’m starting to set up where they’re going to start coming across the border and do doors for us and here.

Steven Potter:
Hawley, who’s also a veteran, says there are a few things that have stuck with him as the most important through the years.

Gary Hawley:
War in different places. We’re improving on women getting their rights, and we got a long ways to go, but at least we’re trying to improve on it.

Steven Potter:
Beginning as a volunteer with the Portage County Democrats decades ago and rising to the position of county party co-chair, Hawley, who’s a retired carpenter, says he also agrees, appreciates and relates to President Joe Biden’s decision to step out of the race.

Gary Hawley:
I’m 75. I’ve been very active. I’ve been going to a lot of conventions. I realize I have to step down too. I mean, not completely. I’ll still be out there, but not — I can’t keep up with the younger people running around here.

Steven Potter:
Reporting from the DNC in Chicago, for “Here & Now,” I’m Steven Potter.