It has been a busy few weeks for Democrats in the United States.
Less than a month ago, incumbent Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential campaign, citing concerns about his age and his ability to defeat his Republican challenger and predecessor Donald Trump.
Since then, Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, enjoying a wave of support from broad sections of the party base and members of Congress.
The election of Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as their vice presidential candidate also mobilized the Democrats and, according to Harris’ campaign team, led to new donations in the tens of millions.
Now the party is set to gather in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, a tradition in presidential election years. Democrats hope the convention will be a strong sign of unity as party members rally behind Harris and Walz’s platform less than three months before Election Day.
But what exactly does the congress have to offer this year? Here’s everything you need to know.
What exactly is the Democratic National Convention?
The Democratic National Convention, held every four years, is a gathering to officially elect the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Although Democrats also vote on the party platform and other procedures, the convention really serves to generate enthusiasm for the Democrats.
This year’s congress begins on August 19 and runs through August 22 in Chicago, Illinois.
Haven’t Harris and Walz already been confirmed as candidates for 2024?
Yes, but this year everything is different.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on August 6 that Harris and Walz had been officially confirmed as presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively.
The reason for this is that Democrats held a virtual roll call vote earlier this month.
In this vote, Harris secured the support of the majority of Democratic delegates – people who normally cast their votes for the presidential candidate at the party convention based on the results of the primaries and party conventions.
The official vote usually takes place at the party’s convention, but this year the party opted for a virtual vote beforehand because Democrats had expressed concern that Harris could be excluded from the Ohio ballot due to a procedural problem.
So will there be a roll call vote at the party conference?
According to the Democratic National Committee: yes.
However, the committee said the vote would be “ceremonial” since Harris and Walz had already been confirmed.
Convention Chairman Minyon Moore said on August 6 that Democratic delegates will “celebrate this historic election defeat with a ceremonial roll call and tell the story of Vice President Harris, Governor Walz and the Democratic Party as we prepare to defeat Donald Trump again.”
Trump was officially confirmed as the Republican Party’s nominee at the Republican National Convention in July. His running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance, was also nominated and confirmed at the convention last month.
It’s official! I just signed the Vice Presidential confirmation paperwork @KamalaHarris for the vote as the presidential candidate of our Democratic Party.
Let’s make history this November! pic.twitter.com/Isymkud833
– Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) 6 August 2024
What else is on the program and who will participate?
In addition to the Democratic delegates and other party members, Democratic lawmakers are also expected to attend the four-day party convention.
A full schedule of speakers has not yet been released, but US media reported that Biden, who endorsed Harris after she dropped out of the race late last month, will be the keynote speaker on the first night of the convention on August 19.
Harris and Walz are also expected to deliver speeches. The vice presidential candidate will address the crowd on August 21 and the presidential candidate will close the event on August 22.
Organizers expect around 50,000 people to come to the event in Chicago.
Is there anything else to expect?
Although Democrats have largely rallied around Harris since launching her bid for the White House last month, she continues to face calls to break with the Biden administration’s Israel and Gaza war policies.
Harris must therefore expect that there will be large demonstrations on the sidelines of the party convention, with demonstrators demanding an end to the war and unconditional US support for Israel.
For months, protesters have been demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel as it bombs the Palestinian coastal enclave. The Israeli war has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and triggered a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Coalition to March on the DNC, a coalition of activist groups, has planned demonstration marches for August 19 and 22. “The Democratic Party leadership’s change of presidential candidate does not wash the blood of over 50,000 Palestinians from their hands,” it says on its website.
“Biden’s entire administration, along with senior members of the Democratic Party from across the country, have spent the last ten months fully supporting the genocide in Gaza with our taxpayer dollars,” the coalition said.
“It is a matter of historic urgency that all organizations fighting for the rights of working and oppressed people in the United States join us in this demonstration to show their solidarity with Palestine.”
Chicago is home to one of the largest Palestinian-American communities in the country, and many locals are expected to participate in the marches.
Have there been protests at other congresses before?
Absolutely.
Outside the Republican National Convention last month, protesters took to the streets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to denounce Trump and his Republican Party for their stance on abortion, the Gaza war and other issues.
The most famous protest, however, took place at the 1968 Democratic Party Convention, which also took place in Chicago.
Protesters fighting for an end to the Vietnam War attempted to march to the Congressional grounds, but were brutally suppressed by thousands of police, the National Guard and other law enforcement officers.
The violence caused chaos within the Democratic Party ahead of the elections of that year, which were ultimately won by Republican Richard Nixon.
