Former state rep, secretary of state candidate to speak as part of ‘rising stars’ keynote at DNC

Former Ohio state representative and 2018 Democratic candidate for Ohio secretary of state Kathleen Clyde will speak Tuesday night at the virtual Democratic National Convention as part of a slate of ‘rising stars’ in the party delivering a keynote address.

Clyde, who now serves as a Portage County commissioner, will join 16 others for the address, including Georgia’s Stacey Abrams and Pennsylvania’s Conor Lamb.

A release from the DNC said the keynote “will weave together powerful and diverse voices from the next generation of party leaders into a unified pledge to step up and lead in this critical moment for the nation,” with participants videotaped portions lasting about a minute each.

Clyde represented the 75th district in the Ohio House from 2011 to 2018. She ran as the Democratic nominee for the open seat of Ohio Secretary of State in 2018 but lost to Republican Frank LaRose.

I am fired up and ready to go! Proud to be part of this convention keynote and proud to put @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris in the White House! Look for me on Tuesday night! Let’s do this Ohio! https://t.co/2NbDqdR1D5

— Kathleen Clyde (@KathleenClyde) August 16, 2020