The Democratic Party will convene its national convention on Aug. 19–22 in Chicago, two weeks after nominating Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate. Harris subsequently chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
“During the convention, we will have an opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for,” convention chair Minyon Moore said in a statement on July 21.
“The historic progress Democrats achieved under the Biden–Harris Administration will still be central to that story, as will the story of what is at stake in this election.”
The United Center, home of NBA team Chicago Bulls and NHL team Blackhawks, will host evening rallies, which will feature speeches by Democrat notables. Daytime events, such as party caucuses and other meetings, will take place at McCormick Place, about five miles away.
Democrats have not yet announced the full lineup of speakers, but it will include former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and 2020 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks via video on the opening night.
Other speakers are likely to include party leaders, prominent elected officials, the candidates’ spouses, and ordinary people who exemplify some aspect of the party’s message. Often, there are appearances by celebrities who endorse the candidates.
Typically, the vice presidential nominee speaks on the second-to-last night of the convention and the presidential nominee on the last night.
Harris and Walz could appear at the convention earlier, however. At the Republican convention, former President Donald Trump entered each of the evening rallies at about the midpoint and sat with high-profile attendees in a VIP box. Vance was present prior to his speech as well.
Watch for the evening rallies to build on one another, climaxing with Harris’s speech on the last night.
Vision and Platform
“We will unite as a party and recommit to the work ahead,” Moore wrote on Aug. 9.“In November, we will elect Kamala Harris as the 47th president of the United States, sending her and Gov. Walz to the White House to finish the job that she and President Biden started together.”
Harris has said her campaign is about two visions for the country—one focused on the future and the other on the past. “What kind of country do we want to live in?” she asks voters at her campaign rallies.
She says her presidency would bring greater personal freedom while a Republican victory would mean the loss of civil rights, including access to abortion.
Look for speakers to expound on some aspect of that theme each day of the convention.
Approving the party’s platform is the primary business item for the convention. The platform is a written document that tells the public where the party stands on the issues.
Harris entered the race without a clearly articulated position on most issues—other than the Biden administration’s positions and her previous statements as an attorney general, senator, and presidential candidate in 2020.
She has made some position statements in recent campaign speeches, though most lack policy specifics. Sometimes, her statements align with Biden’s, sometimes they diverge, and often, they differ from her previously held positions.
Harris has recently said she favors a federal law to guarantee abortion access, a ban on military-style assault rifles, universal background checks for gun purchases, affordable health care, affordable childcare, and paid leave, comprehensive immigration reform that includes strong border security and “an earned pathway to citizenship,” raising the minimum wage, and eliminating taxes on tips for service workers.
Big Crowds, High Security
Democrats have chosen Chicago for their national convention 12 times—more than any other city.Conventions are not open to the general public, but over the four days, Chicago will host about 5,000 delegates, 12,000 volunteers, 15,000 media members, and an estimated 50,000 visitors.
Local officials have commented on the need for tight security in light of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump. They also expect a large number of protesters.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said his department has worked closely with the Secret Service on security arrangements. “Coordination and collaboration with them has been great,” Snelling told reporters on July 15. “That type of collaboration gives me confidence that we’re ready and prepared to deal with whatever comes to our city.”
The Chicago police have received special training for providing security around the convention. They will be augmented by up to 500 police officers who will assist with security at the convention. Out-of-town officers will staff checkpoints around the convention sites and direct traffic but will not be posted in Chicago neighborhoods.
The city initially planned to allow protests at a lakefront park about 3 miles from the convention sites, but activists have objected to that arrangement. The parties have been negotiating on protest sites within audio and visual range of the convention sites, according to Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Hardy.
Nominees typically see a 2–3 point increase in polling following a political convention, according to Dusso. Harris held a 2.7-point lead over Trump in an average of national polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight on Aug. 11.
Trump and Harris are scheduled to take part in a presidential debate hosted by ABC on Sept. 10. Trump has proposed additional debates on Sept. 4 with Fox News and Sept. 25 with NBC. Harris has not agreed to take part in the Sept. 4 and 25 debates.
