By Lindsay Weber
The Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown fire lieutenant and union president Jeremy Warmkessel will share the stage with President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and other prominent Democrats at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this evening.
Warmkessel, who is president of IAFF Local 302 representing Allentown firefighters, is expected to give remarks at around 8 p.m. on the main stage.
“I’m pretty used to speaking to people and in front of people but not on this type of stage, it’s going to be a little nerve-wracking,” Warmkessel said in a phone interview Monday.
He said he plans to speak about the economy and his support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. His remarks will last approximately three minutes.
He said he was first approached by the Biden campaign after the president’s January visit to Allentown, in which Biden toured the Allentown Fire Academy and met several firefighters. When Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris in July, Warmkessel said he agreed to speak on behalf of the Harris campaign at the convention instead.
“I am pretty much in line with the politics of President Biden, I agreed to do that, then we all know what happened a month ago,” Warmkessel said of Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. “When that happened they reached out be willing if I’d do the same thing for Vice President Harris.”
Warmkessel is an Allentown native and has worked for the Allentown Fire Department for 22 years.
He will be speaking on behalf of himself and his personal views, not the IAFF Local 302, he told The Morning Call .
Recent Pennsylvania election polls predict a close race between Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Harris has a 1% lead on Trump in Pennsylvania based on an average of 25 polls, according to The Hill.
The Democratic National Convention is taking place through Thursday at the United Center in Chicago.
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