"If you think things can’t get any worse, trust me they can and they will, if we don't make a change in this election. "said Michelle Obama.

Following night one of the Democratic National Convention, locals are weighing in on the night.
A local democrat, Christian Romo says, "do we want to see them watch innocent people get gunned down on the street? That's not the type of nation we want to leave for our children. We want to leave one that's full of hope, full of promise, and full of opportunities for the next generation."

Romo says this election is pivotal for the future. He says highlights from Monday night included Michelle Obama, and from republican leaders who have since crossed over to endorse nominee Joe Biden; one in particular being former Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Kaisich said, "I’m proud of my republican heritage. It's the party of Lincoln who reflected its founding principals of unity and a higher purpose. But what I have seen the past four years belies those principals. Many of us can’t imagine four more years going down this path."

And while the convention would normally take place in person, it was held virtually due to the pandemic. And local leader Jesse Aguilar, says he attended the last DNC meeting in person. He says, "it was incredibly emotional thing to do. All the people there you do feed off the energy. It is a very different feeling.."

But he says although the convention was held virtually this year, he believes democrats did a good job. And agreeing with him, Ivy Cargile, with California State University Bakersfield. She says, "it was definitely different. But I think it was still effective. And that's what the democrats were looking for. They did a really fantastic job of making sure everything ran smoothly and if there were glitches that wasn't apparent to us."