Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will attempt to rally the nation behind their candidacy after a tumultuous few weeks in American politics.
After a busy few weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have their turn in the spotlight as the Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday in Chicago just weeks after the pair became the standard bearers for the Democratic Party.
The convention comes at a time when Harris and Walz are starting to define how they’ll govern and what a Harris administration might look like. Though they already have the nomination after an early virtual roll call vote, convention organizers hope to use the event to ensure the party is “rallying behind” the Harris-Walz ticket and to introduce the candidates to the American people.
“At the 2024 convention, we will get the opportunity to showcase the accomplishments of Democrats, led by the Biden-Harris administration, in our efforts to unify the nation, rebuild our economy and infrastructure, and safeguard the hopes and dreams of the American people,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. “Then we’ll formally pass the torch to Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz as they lay out their vision for our nation.”
However, experts believe that Harris and Walz need to do more than just receive the torch at the convention. Todd Belt, a professor and director of the political management program at George Washington University, says it’s important for the candidates to lay out their platform.
“They need to discuss their policy proposals in concrete terms. To some degree, this will come from the party platform hammered out at the convention, but the press and the public are getting impatient,” Belt says. “You can’t beat something with nothing. Elections are about the future, and Harris and Walz need to explain how an America under a Harris administration will make voters’ lives better.”
The convention is also a good opportunity to show party unity in the wake of replacing Biden as the frontrunner, says Jennifer Lawless, professor of politics at the University of Virginia.
“They need to demonstrate that the Democratic Party is unified and enthusiastic about the ticket,” Lawless says.”Donald Trump and the Republicans are trying to make the case that the nomination was stripped from (President) Joe Biden, that there’s infighting within the Democratic Party, and that the Harris/Walz ticket is somehow illegitimate. If the convention makes clear that such is not the case – and by all accounts, they will – then that takes the wind out of one of the sails of a major message Trump has been pushing.”
Here’s what to expect from the four-day convention:
- The Democratic Party platform – a document that details the party’s goals and policy positions – will get a floor vote of approval by the delegates.
- Though Harris and Walz accepted their party’s nomination following a virtual roll-call vote earlier this month, both candidates will formally accept the nomination at the convention.
- Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic nominee in 2016, are expected to speak on Monday night.
- Former President Barack Obama is expected to speak on Tuesday night.
- Former President Bill Clinton and Walz are expected to speak on Wednesday night.
- Harris will close out the convention with an acceptance speech Thursday night.
Social media content creators will play a larger role at this year’s convention, making up 200 of the 15,000 members of the media at the event. Convention organizers said content creators are part of an effort to engage with Americans “consuming content and information in entirely new ways.”
The convention will take place over four nights from August 19-22, 2024. Primetime convention programming will air live from 6:30-11 p.m. Eastern on Monday and 7-11 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday through Thursday.
Leave a Reply