CHICAGO — Rush Baker IV grew up entrenched in politics, with his mother a congressional staffer in Washington D.C. and his father a state legislator in Maryland. 

Baker hasn’t pursued office, but he remains active in politics in Maryland and explores political themes through art. When the opportunity to be one of Maryland’s 106 delegates arose, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.

Baker is one of thousands of delegates from around the U.S. who gathered at the United Center in the heart of Chicago, Illinois, for the Democratic National Convention this week to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Vice President Tim Walz. 

Baker is also one of three Grant Wood fellows selected for the next academic year by the Grant Wood Art Colony, a program offered by the University of Iowa that allows artists to teach and engage in the community while being provided a studio to create.

Before Baker came to the UI, he was a lecturer at American University’s Katzen School of Art in its Masters of Fine Arts program. 

Baker said he chose to be a delegate because he wanted to be a part of the process that decided what Democrats stood for this election cycle. 

“I was proud to be able to cast my vote to nominate Kamala Harris to be our nominee and to take on former President Donald Trump,” Baker said. “It is just really a pivotal time in our nation’s history.” 

Baker and the other convention delegates were faced with a choice when President Joe Biden announced he would no longer be running for reelection and tapped Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket. 

Delegates were asked to decide if they would like to support Harris or a challenger, but when no challenger materialized, she ascended to the top of the Democratic party. Baker said it was an easy choice to support Harris. 

“We all signed up knowing that if anything were to ever happen to President Biden, Kamala Harris would be the first person to step up,” Baker said. “It was the right choice, and then you immediately just felt the energy just ramp up the second that [Harris’ nomination] became official and you haven’t seen that momentum shift or drop off.” 

The Democratic Party has seen a major shift in excitement since Harris has ascended to the top of the ticket. A recent Monmouth University poll found that 9 in 10 Democrats say they’re optimistic about the election. 

Baker said that the energy inside the convention has been electric with delegates enthusiastic about the political future with Harris as the candidate for the Democratic party. 

“I just think that there’s just so much enthusiasm and momentum and you can just feel it on the convention floor,” Baker said. “Everyone’s excited. Everyone’s dancing. Everyone’s cheering. Everyone is just really fired up about the possibility of Kamala Harris becoming president.” 

Baker said that the enthusiasm is giving Democrats an edge over Republicans, scaring the GOP and Trump. 

“I think that our momentum and our positivity and our positive messaging has resonated with voters,” Baker said. “It’s scaring the Republican party right now.”