6 Rising Stars to Watch at the Democratic Convention

— -- In 2004, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama gave a rousing address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, electrifying party leaders and stoking chatter about a future presidential run.

Twelve years later — and one week after rising GOP stars Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa addressed Republicans in Cleveland — a new crop of Democrats in local, state and federal office will take center stage in Philadelphia for the DNC this week.

Here are six Democrats to watch at the convention:

Rep. Joe Kennedy III, MassachusettsThe 35-year-old grandson of Robert Kennedy is the latest member of the political dynasty to serve in Congress. The two-term Massachusetts Democrat, the son of former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, has largely shunned the national spotlight that comes with working in the family business, sticking to local media interviews and issues like the opioid crisis ravaging New England. While his great-uncle the late Sen. Ted Kennedy famously endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton for the party’s presidential nomination in 2008, Joe Kennedy III has stumped for Clinton throughout 2016.

He’ll speak Monday night to introduce Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who once taught him contract law at Harvard Law School. (When Warren was on Clinton’s running mate shortlist, Kennedy said he would consider running to replace her.)

Rep. Keith Ellison, MinnesotaEllison, one of the leading progressive voices on Capitol Hill, was one of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ earliest and most prominent supporters in Washington. The 52-year-old co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is one of two Muslim members of Congress and has emerged as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s proposed Muslim immigration ban. Ellison is one of several Democrats in a position to lead the movement behind Sanders’ presidential bid as it enters its next phase.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth, IllinoisAn Iraq War veteran who lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004, Duckworth is running to oust vulnerable GOP Sen. Mark Kirk and become the second female combat veteran elected to the Senate, after Ernst.

Sen. Cory Booker, New JerseyBooker entered the Senate in 2013 with a national political following. As the telegenic mayor of Newark, he was known for his high-profile constituent outreach. (In 2012 he rescued a neighbor from a fire.) In Congress he has been active on criminal justice reform and advocating for gun control. He was a subject of speculation this year about Obama’s Supreme Court nominee and Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential pick. Booker won’t be far from the stage in four years and might be vying for the Democratic nomination in eight.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, TexasAfter the 2012 keynote address by his twin brother, Julian Castro, Joaquin Castro, from the San Antonio area, will have his turn in the DNC spotlight. While he’s often overshadowed by his brother — the mayor of San Antonio turned secretary of Housing and Urban Development was vetted by the Clinton campaign for her running mate — 41-year-old Joaquin Castro is a rising star in his own right on Capitol Hill. After serving on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, he was recently appointed to the exclusive House Intelligence Committee by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Texas Democrats are pushing either Castro as possible a replacement for Debbie Wasserman Schultz as chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Colorado House Majority Leader Crisanta DuranThe 35-year-old Duran is the first Hispanic woman to serve as a party majority leader in the Colorado legislature, according to The Denver Post. EMILY’s List, a Democratic group that supports pro-abortion-rights female candidates, awarded her its 2016 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award, named after the Arizona former representative who survived a shooting in her district in 2011. Along with Gov. John Hickenlooper, she’s one of two Colorado Democrats speaking in Philadelphia.