CHICAGO – The Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago today, and Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept her party’s nomination to become the next commander-in-chief.
President Joe Biden is slated to pass the torch to Harris in a speech later this evening in front of thousands of delegates and party members. The president is expected to use his remarks to lay out his argument for Harris and describe the record they’ve achieved together.
Harris, with newly minted running mate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, has brought the race to a virtual deadlock, with no clear leader in the most recent CNN poll of polls — and that’s before an expected post-convention bump.
In addition to Biden, the convention is set to feature a “who’s who” list of speakers, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential nominee and former secretary of state, is scheduled for the opening night. Former President Barack Obama will headline Tuesday’s festivities, and Walz is the main attraction on Wednesday. Thursday night’s finale will belong to Harris.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker confirmed that “about 250” members of the state’s National Guard will be on standby as tens of thousands of protesters prepare to march on the convention this week.
