This week, Democrats will hold their long-anticipated national convention during which Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept her nomination as presidential candidate and the party will outline to voters their vision for the future.
Earlier this month, Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were formally nominated via virtual roll call—a departure from tradition where the formal nomination occurs at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
A Harris–Walz DNC sign by the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 13, 2024, prior to the Democratic National Convention. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
The vice president and governor will accept their nomination in speeches delivered on the final two nights of the event.
Since Harris took over the ticket from President Joe Biden, Democrats have enjoyed a boost in polling. Still, the stakes are high for Harris and the Democrats, who will need to put on a united front after months of division within the party—or risk alienating moderate and centrist voters.
Here’s what to expect during the second major party convention of the year.
When and where?
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The DNC will be held from Monday, Aug. 19 to Thursday, Aug. 22 in Chicago, Illinois.
The main event will be held at the United Center.
Around 50,000 attendees are expected, including the party’s approximately 5,000 delegates. Like most major political events, it won’t be open to the public.
However, it will stream on a variety of platforms according to the party, including online courtesy of C-Span.
The event will also be streamed in its entirety via Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube using the vertical style popularized by those apps.
Who’s speaking?
The convention will feature speeches from an array of Democratic notables.
Biden will be among the first speakers.
Here’s the speaker schedule:
Aug. 19:
- President Joe Biden
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
- Former President Barack Obama
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
- Vice President Kamala Harris
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
- Rep. Lauren Underwood. (D-Ill.)
Namely, protestors are expected to move full steam ahead with protests originally planned against Biden.
The protest, organized as the “March on the DNC 2024,” will feature a group of around 200 left wing-groups, and could potentially number into the tens of thousands—raising concerns about event security.
Specifically, the protestors are demanding that the DNC and Harris change their stance on Israel, calling for the U.S. to “stand with Palestine” and “end U.S. aid to Israel,” along with a laundry list of other left-wing demands.
The event already had the highest possible federal security classification.
Security for the event will be handled by a coalition of local, state, and federal law enforcement, including the Secret Service.
Despite concerns, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and local police have insisted that the event will be secure.
—Joseph Lord
PRIMARIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
With the general election fast approaching, the primary season is coming to an end.
This week, there will be a handful of high-profile primaries that will be among the last elections until November.
Here are the races to watch.
First up, the Democratic Senate primary in Florida, being held on Tuesday.
In the Sunshine State, Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is fighting three Democratic challengers vying to take on Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
There have been few polls taken for the Democratic primary election in the race, rated by Cook Political Report as “likely Republican.” Still, the most recent poll, taken in June, shows a substantial lead for Muscarel-Powell over her competitors.
Scott is one of two targets—along with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)—for Democrats in a Senate election that’s heavily favorable for Republicans.
Also in the Sunshine State, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led the successful effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October 2023 is facing a primary challenge.
Gaetz’s competitor, Aaron Dimmock, is backed by McCarthy, who’s made a personal mission of ousting those who ousted him.
So far, only Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) has been defeated by a McCarthy-backed challenger.
According to polling, Gaetz is likely to continue that trend: according to an early July poll, Gaetz has a commanding 47-point lead over Dimmock, making an upset unlikely.
Finally, Democrats are also seeking to replace Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in a five-way primary.
As in Scott’s case, however, whoever comes out on top in the primary has an uphill battle in November in a race rated “likely Republican” by Cook Political Report.
In Wyoming, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and at-large Rep. Hariett Hageman (R-Wyo.) will also face primary challengers on Aug. 20, but both seats are considered safe for the incumbents.
Meanwhile, in Alaska, Republicans are hoping to unseat Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), whose 2022 victory was aided in part by the adoption that year of ranked-choice voting.
The system is controversial, particularly among Republicans: under the primary model adopted by Alaska, the top four candidates, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.
However, these efforts are unlikely to be successful according to Cook Political Report, which ranks the seat as “lean Democratic.”
—Joseph Lord
BOOKMARKS
With the election fast approaching, all eyes are on the demographic most likely to determine the outcome: swing-voters, particularly in the all-important Rust Belt. The Epoch Times’ Arjun Singh spoke to some of these voters in Minnesota, reporting on what they want to see from candidates in one of the cycle’s most competitive House races.
After moving to a virtual event in 2020 to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is set to host its first in-person nominating convention in eight years. But the DNC, as the convention arm of the United States’ oldest surviving political party, has a long and storied history. An article by The Epoch Times’ Jacob Burg catalogs the five most important DNCs across U.S. history.
A key strategist for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is now working with Elon Musk, the Associated Press reported. Generra Peck, DeSantis’s one-time campaign manager, is working with the tech billionaire to organize votes for former President Donald Trump.
The Harris campaign plans to drop a massive $370 million in ad-spending between Labor Day and the election, The New York Times reported. That includes $200 million earmarked specifically for digital ad spending, potentially targeting young demographics that Harris hopes to bring into the Democratic fold.
