NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Day two of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is underway in Chicago with more than 70 Tennessee delegates present, a few of which are teenagers.
At 18 years old, William Mendoza-Euceda is the state’s youngest delegate at the DNC.
“I’m truly honored to represent Tennessee,” Mendoza-Euceda said. “Seeing all these different people that I’ve watched on C-SPAN since I was little, being able to see them in person and so close is such an amazing experience.”
The young man referred to his attendance at the convention as a momentous occasion. He told News 2 this is a sign that his hard work over the last few years of door-knocking and campaigning is paying off not just for him, but for the future of his party as well.
“I believe that Tennessee is not a red state,” Mendoza-Euceda said. “It's a nonvoting state because we're super low turnout. I've been door-knocking since I was 15, and I've seen how we win elections and sometimes we lose elections by very small margins, and it's all because of that door knock that we do.”
Trent Benge, 19, a Tennessee DNC delegate for District 5, is only three months older than Mendoza-Euceda.
“I think me and him are a testimony of age truly doesn’t matter to get involved,” Mendoza-Euceda said. “Anyone can get involved, and anyone can make a change.”
Mendoza-Euceda believes U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is motivating a lot of young voters. He said he, too, hopes he can inspire others in their teens and twenties to be politically driven as well.
“We need to represent the young people more, and I think I'm doing a great job of doing that,” Mendoza-Euceda said. “I think no matter your age, no matter who you are, no matter what you are, no matter where you're from, we're all in this together."
State Reps. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) are scheduled to speak at the DNC on Thursday. Many refer to the trio as the “Tennessee Three” after they faced expulsion from the Tennessee House of Representatives for their role in a gun control protest last year on the House floor.