Leading Democrats, including President Biden and former U.S. presidents, are traveling to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to celebrate the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate for commander-in-chief.
These are the players you should look out for:
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, arrives in Las Vegas to speak at a campaign rally on August 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
President Biden
President Biden is expected to deliver a speech at the convention on Monday evening, opening the week-long event.
The highly anticipated speech comes after Biden suspended his re-election campaign following the primary cycle in a surprise and unprecedented shakeup.
Biden ends his bid for a second term in the White House as he drops out of his 2024 rematch against Trump
Just over a month ago, Biden was considered the likely Democratic presidential candidate after winning all of the Democratic primaries unopposed.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrive at an event at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, on Thursday, August 15, 2024, to discuss government efforts to cut costs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
But after his disastrous performance at the debate against former President Trump in June, Democrats began a pressure campaign to get Biden to put his re-election campaign on hold.
Biden finally gave in to pressure and announced the suspension of his re-election campaign just days after the Republican National Convention ended with a solid Republican ticket of Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
The unprecedented announcement to drop out of the race came as more and more Democratic lawmakers and leading Democrats were publicly calling for Biden to resign. Party leaders were also busy trying to convince the 81-year-old Biden that he could not win the general election in November against Trump.
Biden immediately offered Harris his “full support and endorsement” to assume his party’s presidential nomination.
Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State and twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will also speak at the Democratic Party Convention on Monday evening.
In 2016, Clinton was the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate for a major political party.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poses at the premiere of the new musical “Drinks” on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on April 18, 2024 in New York City. (Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
Clintons endorse Kamala Harris just hours after Biden drops out
However, Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
If Harris wins in November, she would become the first female president of the United States.
Former President Obama
Former President Obama is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.
Sources told Fox News Digital that a group of Obama allies and former advisers were the driving force behind the call for Biden to drop out of the race. They included his former adviser David Axelrod, as well as George Clooney, a personal friend of the Obamas, and others.
Obama, who served Biden as vice president for two terms, ultimately endorsed Harris after Biden dropped out of the race, but not immediately.
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris for president after days of silence
Obama initially said the party was “moving in uncharted territory,” but expressed his “confidence” that the Democratic Party “will be able to create a process that produces an outstanding candidate.”
Former President Obama attends a friendly match between Canada and the United States ahead of the Paris Olympic Games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10, 2024. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
However, it appeared to be merely a convergence of leading Democrats publicly supporting Harris and a surge in grassroots donations in the hours after her presidential campaign was announced.
Obama called Harris a “lucky warrior.”
Former President Clinton
Former President Clinton is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday evening.
The Clintons quickly endorsed Harris after Biden dropped out of the race.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished. He has stood up for America time and time again and his guiding light has always been what is best for the country,” they said in their joint statement. “We are honored to join the President in supporting Vice President Harris and will do everything we can to support her.”
Clinton’s speech is expected to take place immediately before that of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
Governor Tim Walz
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is expected to speak at the Democratic Party convention on Wednesday evening.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was introduced last week as Harris’s running mate.
Vice President Kamala Harris names Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate: AP
Walz has a number of accomplishments in Minnesota’s progressive politics, including protecting abortion rights, legalizing marijuana for recreational use and restricting access to guns to reduce shootings.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. (Ronda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images)
Walz was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and was re-elected five times. He represented Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, a mostly rural district in the south of the state that includes a number of mid-sized cities. During his final two years on Capitol Hill, he served as ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Walz won election as governor in 2018 and was re-elected four years later.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday evening and deliver her first address to the party and the nation.
Harris has not held a press conference or participated in an interview with the media since she was named the presumptive Democratic nominee nearly a month ago.
Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday evening and address the party and the nation for the first time. (Andrew Harnik)
Harris is running for president for the second time.
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Harris launched her first presidential campaign in 2019 for the 2020 presidential cycle. Harris participated in debates but ultimately suspended her campaign before the first primaries, the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.
