At the convention, voters will hear Democratic leaders make the case for why Vice President Kamala Harris can beat former President Donald Trump.

[link removed]
Harris in the spotlight

It’s Democrats’ turn.

Weeks after the Republican Party formally nominated its presidential ticket and made its case to voters in Milwaukee, Democrats will flock to Chicago this week for its own party convention.

But the road to get here was anything but easy. Kamala Harris started the election season as the vice presidential incumbent, the No. 2 on President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection bid.

No longer. In a matter of weeks, after pressure from Democrats on Biden to drop out from the race, Harris stepped in, reinvigorating Democrats’ chances ([link removed]) of winning the Oval Office. The voter enthusiasm that was missing with Biden in tow is now buoying Harris’ campaign. ([link removed])
[link removed]
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Across the four-day convention, Democrats will adopt a party platform, while voters hear leaders make the case for why Harris can beat former President Donald Trump, and get a chance to see Harris’ vision for the country. ([link removed])

Here’s what to expect from the convention and how an already unprecedented election season could lead to more firsts.

This newsletter was compiled by Joshua Barajas. ([link removed])
HOW WE’RE COVERING THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

[link removed]
Watch Harris’ Thursday speech in the player above.

The Democratic National Convention will kick off Monday, Aug. 19 in Chicago and last through Thursday, Aug. 22.

Each day of the convention, PBS News will have special coverage gavel to gavel, with a continuous stream from the main floor. You can find those streams here ([link removed]) daily.

Each evening, the News Hour broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. EDT from the anchor desk in Chicago.

Starting at 8 p.m. EDT, anchors Amna Nawaz ([link removed]) and Geoff Bennett ([link removed]) will host on-air special analysis with a group of panelists and special guests, including:
* Judy Woodruff ([link removed]) , News Hour special correspondent and former anchor and managing editor
* Amy Walter ([link removed]) , publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
* David Brooks ([link removed]) , New York Times columnist
* Jonathan Capehart ([link removed]) , Washington Post associate editor

Correspondent Laura Barrón-López ([link removed]) will report from the convention floor, talking to delegates and elected officials.

When special coverage ends each night around 11 p.m. EDT, digital video producer Deema Zein ([link removed]) will host a live chat with Barrón-López on major takeaways.

Check your local listings to find the PBS station near you, or watch online here ([link removed]) .
You can also follow the PBS News’ coverage on YouTube ([link removed]) , X ([link removed]) , Facebook ([link removed]) and TikTok ([link removed]) , and see highlights on our Instagram. ([link removed])

WHAT TO EXPECT
[link removed]
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
By Shrai Popat, @shraipopat ([link removed])
White House Producer

While Vice President Kamala Harris and her running-mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz already won the party’s nomination in an early virtual roll-call, this year’s Democratic National Convention is an opportunity for the party to rally around its new presidential ticket.

Convention festivities will take place over the course of a week, and will culminate in Harris’ ceremonial acceptance speech Thursday night.

This year’s convention is already historic. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month with 107 days to go until the election. Kamala Harris will be the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.

Minyon Moore, the DNC chair, wrote an op-ed ([link removed]) for theGrio that Harris has “worked day and night” to earn her endorsement from President Joe Biden.

Moore, a former White House political director ([link removed]) under Bill Clinton and a consultant for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, underscored the significance of Harris’ nomination.

“We’re standing on the precipice of something truly historic — electing the first woman president of the United States and showing the world what is possible when we come together as a country,” she wrote.

Here are four things to be on the lookout for as the convention gets underway.

1. What case will Harris make to voters?
[link removed]
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The DNC will be one of the first major opportunities for Harris to re-introduce herself to the country, make her policy platform clear, and to talk up her bona fides. This week, the vice president unveiled an economic policy plan that focused on expanding child tax credits, banning price gouging and lowering prescription drug costs.

The convention is a place for Harris to build on her vision for presidency, despite the fact that the Democratic Party platform still names Biden ([link removed]) as the nominee.

Last month, PBS News heard from several voters in swing states ([link removed]) who took part in focus groups organized by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. Some felt they didn’t know enough about Harris’ record, despite being unenthusiastic about voting for her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

Wendy, a voter from Pennsylvania who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, felt Kamala Harris was still unknown.

“She hasn't been very visible for most of Biden's presidency,” she said. “She was elected vice president, and then she just kind of disappeared.”

2. Bright lights, big names

Each night, leading names in politics will take the DNC stage.

Biden will kick off the weeklong festivities Monday. ([link removed]) Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also set to speak on the opening night of the convention. Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will address delegates on Tuesday ([link removed]) and Wednesday ([link removed]) , respectively.

Harris will take the stage Thursday night ([link removed]) to accept her nomination.

[link removed]
Watch the opening day of the DNC in the player above.

Overall, the convention is set to be a more star-studded affair than its Republican counterpart, with smatterings of daytime and evening events with celebrity guests. Actor and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus will host a panel with female Democratic governors. Dreyfus played the fictional and sardonic Vice President Selina Meyer on HBO’s “Veep,” and social media timelines have been flooded with thelife-imitates-art memes ([link removed]) since Harris formally secured the Democratic nomination in early August.

Singer-songwriter John Legend will headline a party hosted by billionaire Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday.

3. Protests in the background

The anger at the Biden administration over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war is expected to play a role at this year’s DNC. There will be 30 “uncommitted” delegates present, the result of coordinated protest votes in primary elections this year.

Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, is home to the largest Palestinian population in the U.S., and more than 150 coalition groups, comprising thousands of demonstrators, are expected to protest the war in Gaza.

The “March on the DNC” will take place on various days throughout the week of the convention. Pro-Palestinian groups will be joined by ally groups protesting for LGBTQ+ rights, access to reproductive care, among other demands ([link removed]) .

Deanna Othman, a member of American Muslims for Palestine in Chicago, which is organizing one of the protests in the city, told PBS News that “the Democratic party has been complicit and needs to change policy.” She hopes that planned demonstrations will get national attention to demand more than “empty promises” from lawmakers.

“Vice President Harris not being Donald Trump is not enough to get votes,” she added. “The Democratic party has been in charge, and bears the responsibility of what has befallen the people of Gaza.”

4. The influencer convention

In a DNC first, the entire week will be streamed using vertical video on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

By broadcasting in a format native to social media, the committee hopes to attract younger viewers who primarily get their news through these apps. Organizers have also credentialed more than 200 social media content creators ([link removed]) to this year’s convention, offering them dedicated workspace and the opportunity to go live directly from the convention floor.

Several popular TikTokers like Johnny Palmadessa ([link removed]) , Elizabeth Booker Houston ([link removed]) , and Jeremy Jacobowitz ([link removed]) are all expected to be in attendance.

The convention committee will also be rolling out a “blue carpet” for surrogates to walk and be interviewed by online creators. Comedian Matt Friend, best known for his Trump impression ([link removed]) , will be Snapchat’s “blue carpet” correspondent.
Want more news and analysis in your inbox?
Explore all of the PBS News' e ([link removed]) mails ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]

============================================================
Copyright © 2024 WETA, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
3939 Campbell Ave
Arlington, VA 22206

** Update my email preference ([link removed])
** s ([link removed])

** Unsubscribe from all PBS News emails ([link removed])