‘Calamari comeback’: Tiniest state’s DNC video gets big buzz

WARWICK, RI (AP) — Rhode Island was a big sensation at the virtual Democratic National Convention for its unconventional video plugging calamari — the state’s official appetizer.

In a made-for-memes moment aired nationally Tuesday night, a lawmaker and a restaurateur with a heaping plate of sauteed squid stood on a beach and proclaimed Rhode Island the “calamari comeback state.”

State Democratic Party chair Joseph McNamara said he wanted to highlight how the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the seafood industry.

Rhode Island’s 30-second spot, part of the DNC’s roll call where states formally nominated Joe Biden for president, was an instant social media sensation.