The roll call portion of the Democratic National Convention, in which each state and territory pledges its delegates, is usually just a technicality. Yet this year, Democrats turned out and turned up to rep their states and throw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Anderson Clayton (C) leads the North Carolina delegation as they cast their votes during the Ceremonial Roll Call of States on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. | Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Democratic National Convention gets lit with state theme songs

DJ Cassidy, brought on board to provide music for this year’s roll call session, said his main goal was “to turn the arena into a party, into a celebration.” He did so with music tailored to each state. Furthermore, the roll call saw a variety of special guest appearances.

The most hype moment of the evening came when Georgia’s song choice of “Turn Down for What” saw Lil Jon himself appear to hype the crowd, even incorporating the Harris “we’re not going back” slogan into his mini performance.

Celebrity cameos

The Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin, also known for playing Notre Dame football hero Rudy, showed up to nominate Harris as Gary, Indiana’s own Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough“ played in the background.

The Wire and Treme actor Wendell Pierce, “a proud son of Louisiana,“ introduced his state’s delegation to the tune of “All I Do Is Win.”

New York had Spike Lee present and delivered its delegation with JAY-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.”

Rising Democratic stars hype Harris and the party’s mission

North Carolina’s Anderson Clayton — the nation’s youngest state party chair — was joined by notables like Antony Hamilton and the musical backing of Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up,” as she pledged the state’s 131 delegates to Harris.

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson, a rising star within the Democratic Party, gave an impassioned speech during his state’s roll call.

Harris’ home state, California, was given the privilege of going at the end. Gov. Gavin Newsom gave an extended speech over a medley of songs, including “California Love” and “Not Like Us.”

The complete list of songs for every delegation has already been posted online.

The various state speeches have also been compiled into a series of tweets.

Finally, Spotify has made the songs available in a DNC 2024 Roll Call playlist.

Democratic National Convention