Working Families Party Champion Nicolas O’Rourke to Deliver Response to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Philadelphia Pastor and Organizer Made History Last Year by Ousting Republicans From Their Final At-Large Council Seat

Philadelphia, PA (Feb. 29, 2024) — The Working Families Party announced today that Philadelphia Council Member At-Large Nicolas O’Rourke, a pastor and community organizer, will deliver the Party’s response to President Biden’s State of the Union Address via livestream. This marks the seventh WFP response to a president’s address before a joint session of Congress. 

“Last year, Pastor Nicolas O’Rourke brought together a winning coalition to beat out the Republican Party and helped make the Working Families Party a rising force in Philadelphia,” said Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell. “Nicolas will bring all his moral clarity and strategic vision to this speech. Just like in 2020, winning states like Pennsylvania will mean really understanding what matters to working people in cities like Philadelphia. Anyone who wants to stop the MAGA movement in its tracks should listen to Nicolas closely.” 

Responses to previous State of the Union Addresses were given by Rep. Delia Ramirez in 2023, Rep. Rashida Tlaib in 2022, Rep. Jamaal Bowman in 2021, Rep. Ayanna Pressley in 2020, former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in 2019, and former U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards in 2018. 

“It’s an honor to deliver the Working Families Party response to the State of the Union. I hope to give voice to the working people in Philadelphia and around the country who want a better life for themselves and a brighter future for the next generation. Together, we can ensure that everyone who calls this country home, no matter your race or place, can earn a good living and have a good life – with the education and healthcare, housing and jobs that every family needs,” said Nicolas O’Rourke. “To get to that future, we need to build governing power for working people, and defeat the politicians who try to divide us and the billionaires who back them.” 

Councilmember O’Rourke is the second Working Families Party member elected to Philadelphia City Council, following the historic victory of Kendra Brooks in 2019. Councilmember O’Rourke played a crucial role in turning out Philadelphians in the 2020 general election, and making sure every vote was counted. 

The Working Families Party is the political party of the multiracial working class, fighting for a nation that cares for all of us. Founded twenty-five years ago, the WFP has grown into a national movement that has elected thousands of leaders at every level of government in every region of the country. It has a ballot line in several cities and states, and organizes in every part of the country. State WFP chapters around the country have led campaigns that won  concrete victories for the working people by raising wages, guaranteeing paid sick time and paid family leave, strengthening voting rights, investing in education, taxing the rich and more. 

In 2020, WFP ran massive get-out-the-vote operations in swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin to defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. In the 2022 midterm elections, WFP elected six champions in competitive Democratic Congressional primaries, and helped swing-district Democrats win tough general election fights. 

# # #