Brooklyn’s Henry Butler, A New York Delegate to the National Democratic Convention, Votes YES for Kamala Harris

By Fern Gillespie
Veteran Central Brooklyn politician Henry Butler is preparing to attend the historic 2024 National Democratic Convention in Chicago, where he will say YES to the Democratic Party’s official nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. Butler is Vice Chair of the Kings County Democratic Party, District Leader for the 56th Assembly District and President of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association Club (VIDA). A Crains NY Notable Black Leader, he was a New York DNC delegate Hillary Clinton in 2016. Our Time Press spoke to Butler about his support for Kamala Harris’s history-making presidential campaign.

You are a New York Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegate to the National Democratic Convention in Chicago. Why are you supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for President?
I am supporting Kamala Harris. When you select your Vice President, you select them not just for politics, but you select them because you truly believe that this person can lead the country if something happens to you while President. Her background is a District Attorney, Attorney General, United States Senator, and Vice President for the last three and a half years. She’s worked in domestic and foreign policy. Her experience and record of accomplishments, show that she’s ready. Close your eyes, if Kamala Harris was a man, it would be said this man is so qualified to be President.

Kamala Harris is the first Black woman to be a presidential candidate at this level. What do you think about that?
It’s another step in the right direction for this country. I find it very ironic that it’s happening when we’ve had the previous four years of the most racist president in our lifetime. Trump now has to go up against a Black and Indian woman running against him for President–everything that he seems to despise. Like so-called foreigners. His wife came over here on a visa, but anyone else he seems to despise. Kamala was born here. What I’m saying is that her background is something that it seems he despises. It’s ironic that this historic moment is happening against him. That a woman of color is going to go against Trump. Because, when you look at the 2020 election, it was women of color that helped Biden beat Trump in 2020.

Do you believe that this is going to be a nasty presidential campaign?
Yes. It’s already started. It’s going to be nasty. There is no shame on the Republican side when your nominee doesn’t have any shame. So, you can do whatever you want. Say whatever you want about her and her family. There’s going to be more bashing than you’ve ever seen before.

A lot has been said about the importance of Black women in the elections. What do you think about that in terms of Black women’s support and voting?
In 2020, it was the turnout of Black women that put Biden over the top of swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The enthusiasm was there. Recently, a core of 44,000 Black women, who were celebrities, sororities and groups, had a zoom call supporting Kamala Harris. It was put together in a couple of hours. My wife got on the call. I think Kamala Harris has brought enthusiasm. These Black women were already loyal Democratic voters, but now with this Black woman on the ticket, who went to Howard University and is an AKA Soror, this has taken it to another level. For them, the excitement that they are feeling hopefully translates over to other groups like Black men, white women and forward-thinking white men.

What is the next step for you as a DNC New York delegate to the convention and a Brooklyn Democrat Party official?
Right now, I’m preparing for the convention. I’m going to kick it into high gear with my district that I represent. As an elected district leader and also the president of a Democratic club, I will be getting my members engaged in this election cycle and also working with the National party. That means getting 100 percent behind Kamala Harris and starting a movement for Kamala 2024 by getting my club members and my constituents on board and looking to see what we can do to make sure she wins. Whether that’s phone banking in the swing states for her, planning a bus trip to the Philly area and knocking on doors for her. Also, working with the other Black clubs. Whatever it’s going to take to make sure we keep this momentum going to make Vice President Kamala Harris, our next President of the United States.

In 2016, you were a New York DNC delegate for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. You mentioned there were nomination conflicts there. What do you think will be happening at the 2024 convention?
You’re seeing what’s happening now with the coalescing immediately around Kamala Harris because we don’t want that situation again. Your vote is about the next 20 years. The President and the Senate have the power to pick the Supreme Court justices. They gave Donald Trump, of all people, three Supreme Court justices, which totally flipped the Supreme Court to 6 to 3. You see what happened. Roe v. Wade was overturned. Affirmative action in schools, voting rights, gerrymandering, student loan forgiveness, and LGBT rights were overturned. They see the power of the President.