This former school teacher knows that attendance is worth most of the grade.
Sarah Bingaman is one of four delegates elected to the Democratic National Convention representing the 16th Congressional District. It's also her first convention. So, she asked for some advice from a friend who had been to two previous national political conventions.
"She said, 'number one, have fun,'" Bingaman shared. "'But number two, you will love going to the breakfasts.' And I thought, 'Is the food really good or something?' And then Monday, I realized what the Illinois delegation breakfasts mean —getting to see nationwide figures and being inspired first thing in the morning. It's pretty powerful."
This week that included appearances by Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Another winning strategy to making it through all four days of jam-packed events and speakers? Have a plan.
"The joy of being an elected delegate is that it's a like a golden ticket," Bingaman said. "So, I have a place on the floor as long as I get there early enough to claim my place, because other people do try to take those seats, and it's a bit of a struggle."
That means she has to give up some events at McCormick Place to make sure she has a good spot at the United Center for the evening speakers. Host state Illinois has one of the closest views of the main stage.
She's also a former public-school teacher. She says the speech on Wednesday night by Vice President Tim Walz really resonated with her.
"They are a genuine American family," she said. "The other thing that I loved was when the football players came out from his team in Mankato. They were just regular guys."
Sprinkled throughout the week are plenty of opportunities to mix, mingle, and let loose. That's not part of her strategy this week.
"I'm not here to party," Bingaman said. "I'm here to hear the speakers. I'm here to be inspired. I'm here to fill myself up with that inspiration, so that when I go back to Lee County, I will be so filled with that joy and inspiration I can spread it out to everyone there."
In the 2020 election, Donald Trump won 59% of the votes in Lee County, compared to 40% statewide.
Now that she has been to a convention, what has she learned?
"It's not for the faint of heart."
