17 'up-and-coming' Democrats will keynote the DNC's 2nd night — and none of them endorsed Bernie Sanders

Democratic leaders seem to be sending a deliberate message about the future of the party with their DNC keynote speaker — or lack thereof.

Tuesday, the second night of the Democratic National Convention, marks the first time the party won't have a keynote speaker. Instead, it'll air a montage of 17 "next generation" party leaders — and none of them endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), The New York Times reports.

The selection of 17 Democrats, 11 of whom are people of color, is meant to represent "the deep bench Democrats have across the country from the ground up," Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic operative running the convention program, told the Times. These are "young, up-and-coming leaders representing a diverse group of ideas and perspectives from across the country," Cutter continued. Stacey Abrams, who lost 2018's Georgia gubernatorial race, and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez are on that list, though they're only a year or two younger than former President Barack Obama was when he was elected president.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Meanwhile some high-profile faces who would fit Cutter's description won't be in the mash-up, such as Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), who endorsed Sanders and want to take the party in a more progressive direction. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), the undeniable rising star of the Democratic party right now, will meanwhile speak on her own to nominate Sanders for the presidency.