Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris is riding a wave of voter enthusiasm into the Democratic National Convention This has changed the election campaign against former President Donald Trump three months before the election.
The four-day convention in Chicago begins on Monday, about a month after President Biden ended his re-election campaign while a growing number of Democrats questioned the octogenarian’s ability to serve as commander-in-chief for another four years.
Democrats quickly united behind Harris, which Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called as her running mate.
When will the 2024 Democratic National Convention take place?
The conference begins on Monday and lasts until Thursday.
Keynote speeches and programming begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT) on Monday. Evening programming begins at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) Tuesday through Thursday.
The festivities are expected to end around 11:00 p.m. ET or 10:00 p.m. CT.
Where is the Democratic Party Convention taking place?
This year’s convention will be held in Chicago, a Democratic stronghold that last hosted the nominating convention in 1996, when then-President Bill Clinton was running for re-election. Events will be held at two locations – the United Center, where speeches and other events will take place in the evening, and McCormick Place, where official party business and meetings will take place during the day.
While Chicago is not in a swing state, it is about an hour’s drive from Wisconsin and Michigan – two swing states that are expected to be crucial for Democrats in November if they want to win the White House. Wisconsin and Michigan are both considered “blue wall” states and have supported Democrats in the past, but chose former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election before Biden recaptured them in 2020.
While not considered a swing state, nearby Minnesota was seen as a closely contested state for Republicans this year before Harris named Walz as her running mate.
When Democrats announced Chicago as the host city, they pointed out that the region played a crucial role in Biden’s victory in 2020.
“The Midwest reflects America,” DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said last year.
What happens at the congress?
More than 4,000 delegates will gather in Chicago to recognize Harris as the Democratic candidate and approve the party platform.
Normally, the convention uses a roll call vote to officially nominate the presidential and vice presidential candidates, but Harris officially cemented her status as the presidential frontrunner earlier this month when she won the majority of delegates in a virtual appealThe vote was held in early August to avoid potential problems with voting access in Ohio. A ceremonial roll call is expected to take place at the party convention.
What is the speaker schedule for the 2024 DNC?
The official schedule has not yet been released, but Democratic National Convention officials have confirmed that President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will speak on Monday. Monday’s theme will be “For the People,” and speakers will pay tribute to Mr. Biden, DNC officials said.
According to a source familiar with the plansFormer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 candidate, is expected to be among the speakers on Monday. Heads of the major unions will also make comments.
A speech by former President Barack Obama scheduled for Tuesday will be titled “A Bold Vision for the Future.” A source familiar with the plans told CBS News that former first lady Michelle Obama will speak before him at the convention, although it will not be considered an introduction in the true sense of the word.
On Wednesday’s “A Fight for Freedom” event, former President Bill Clinton and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi of California will speak, according to a source familiar with the schedule. A spokesman for Rep. Tom Suozzi confirmed that the New York congressman, who flipped a red seat for a blue one in a special election last year, is also on the schedule.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will also speak this week, DNC officials said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will address the convention on Monday, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will speak on Tuesday.
Walz is expected to take the stage on Wednesday to formally accept the vice presidential nomination. Harris will formally accept the nomination during her speech on Thursday as part of an evening dedicated to “For the Future.”
Anita Dunn, a former senior adviser to Mr Biden who left the White House last month to join the main super PAC supporting Harris, previewed the vice president’s speech in an interview with “CBS Mornings” before the convention began.
“What you can expect from the vice president this week is a message about how we can move this country forward, how we can create an economy of opportunity where everyone in the country feels like they can move forward, where businesses are held accountable and people know they have the same opportunities as the rest of the world,” she said. “And what you can hear is that we are moving forward, not back.”
Dunn said Democrats would try to draw a clear line between their party and Trump and the Republican Party.
“You will also hear about opportunities, excitement and progress,” she said.
What is the Democrats’ platform for 2024?
The Democrats presented a draft of their program in July, when Biden was still running for president.
Trump is mentioned dozens of times to create a sharp contrast between the Democrats’ priorities and the former president’s positions.Project 2025,” a conservative blueprint for the next Republican president.
The Democrats’ program includes an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, a permanent introduction of the child tax allowance and the earned income tax credit, affordable child care and a reduction in health care costs.
She also proposes a minimum income tax for billionaires, an increase in the corporate tax rate, a ban on “junk fees” and the expansion of clean energy projects.
On reproductive rights, the platform says Democrats are committed to passing legislation that codifies abortion protections, improves access to contraception, and protects access to IVF and FDA-approved medication abortions.
Democrats also want to expunge federal convictions related to the sole possession of marijuana, strengthen democracy, secure the border, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The platform also mentions support for “a negotiated two-state solution that secures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of the Palestinians to live in freedom and security in their own viable state.”
Scott MacFarlane, Nikole Killion, Aaron Navarro and Ed O’Keefe contributed to this report.
