Conor Lamb among 17 'rising stars' to deliver Tuesday's keynote speech for Democratic National Convention

U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb is among 17 Democrats deemed “rising stars” who will take turns delivering the 2020 national convention’s keynote address Tuesday night.

“It’s a great honor,” Lamb, 36, of Mt. Lebanon told the Tribune-Review by phone Monday afternoon. “I do think that it matters because I have heard from people who identify as both Democrats and non-Democrats, that they are ready to see a new generation take over in politics. They feel they’ve seen the same old faces for too long.”

Rather than have a single veteran politician give the speech, 2020 convention organizers selected a group of younger men and women and fledgling state and federal lawmakers to deliver the address together.

Democratic National Convention CEO Joe Solmonese called the decision an example of “finding new and innovative ways to engage more Americans than ever before — because that’s how we’ll mobilize the nation to defeat Donald Trump in November.”

“The convention keynote has always been the bellwether for the future of our party and our nation, and when Americans tune in … they’ll find the smart, steady leadership we need to meet this critical moment,” Solmonese said in a statement announcing the new format.

Also represented from Pennsylvania is U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, both of the Philadelphia area.

Lamb said he’s “really happy that we’re going to be broadcasting this whole cast of characters who are young and on the way up to show people, ‘Look, we know you’re nominating somebody that you’ve known … but there’s a lot coming up behind him (Biden), and we have a plan to try to lead for an entire generation.’ ”

“It’s certainly something we can all be proud of in Western Pennsylvania, given that honor to be one of the national up-and-coming leaders,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. “That’s really exciting.”

Lamb made national headlines with his ascent to Congress by winning over suburban areas in the region that supported Trump in 2016.

“Western Pennsylvanians are a pretty independent-minded type of people,” said Lamb, “and so as a result it makes our state very competitive every four years.”

The former federal prosecutor and Marine flipped a historically red region blue by ousting two Trump-backed candidates in back-to-back special and general elections. After he was elected, Lamb followed through on his pledge not to vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House but riled some constituents when he asserted he would be voting in favor of impeaching Trump.

G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, said Lamb has garnered support by cultivating a “moderate image and reputation.”

“He’s a Biden supporter, make no mistake about it — but nobody has him on the list of endangered members of Congress in our state that I’ve seen,” Madonna said. “None of them have him in trouble.”

The video speech featuring Lamb and 16 others has been prerecorded, with each participant sharing in delivering it. Its theme is “Leadership Matters.”

The keynote address is set to start at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The convention program runs through Thursday night.