DENVER — Janet Monaco flew across the country this week for a 90-second chance to tell the world about her second choice in the presidential race, a politician whose idealism made her cry the first time she listened to him.

Monaco was the second Brevard Countian to snag a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention. Air Force veteran Mike Wilson, a Republican, formally placed Sen. Barack Obama's name in nomination on Wednesday night.

Monaco, 51, described herself as "a very proud Democrat" who never misses voting. A "happily single" Long Islander who moved to Florida 14 years ago, she said she initially supported her former state's junior senator for the Democratic nomination but, after Sen. Hillary Clinton conceded, a friend suggested she listen to Obama on television last June.

"I cried the first time I heard him speak," she recalled. "I said to myself, 'Wow, this man could change the country' and I've been hooked ever since."

She said a friend, Arna Cortazzo, got a call from the Obama campaign about finding someone to introduce Obama at a Brevard Community College rally on Aug. 2. She said her friend, a Rockledge lawyer, suggested her "because she knew some of the things I'm going through" as a small businesswoman with health concerns.

"They cut my speech to a minute and a half; originally, yesterday, they told me two minutes and I guess they're cutting everybody's speeches. I guess there's not enough time," Monaco said Thursday in an interview.

Monaco, who lives in West Melbourne, said she later got a call from the Obama campaign, inviting her to Denver to share his big night.

Although polls show a close race, with Florida's 27 electoral votes critical to both sides, Monaco expressed confidence that Obama will win.

"The man, if anybody sits back and listens to him, the man is phenomenal. He's a genius and he's got a lot of things to offer this country," she said. "Ask yourself this question — are you better off now than you were four years ago? And if you can't answer 'yes,' then he's the man you need."

That was the devastating question that Republican Ronald Reagan posed in his 1980 debate with then-President Jimmy Carter. Monaco said she has never been involved in politics, beyond voting.

"I have no time to do that. I wish I did, but I work 70 hours at one job and part-time at another," she said.

Monaco, who arrived at the convention Wednesday and "was totally impressed" by former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Joe Biden when they spoke, said she was awed by the whole experience.

"I feel quite, quite honored to be here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."