The Democratic National Convention, at which US Vice President Kamala Harris will be officially crowned the party’s candidate for the November elections, begins today in Chicago with a media blitz.
The meeting with all the arsenal of that political force and its main figures will open tonight with a speech by the incumbent president, Joe Biden, in the fortified United Center, a multi-sports pavilion with a capacity for 23,500 spectators, located in the area of that important Illinois city.
According to previews of the four-day convention, former Presidents William Clinton and Barack Obama, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Michelle Obama will be on stage as speakers.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, among others, are also expected to speak.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will deliver his vice presidential acceptance speech on Wednesday, while Harris will close on Thursday with a speech outlining her plan for a future administration and accepting the nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Harris will lay out her «bold vision for America’s future» to the nation at a moment of momentum and enthusiasm for her campaign, according to press reports.
The 19-22 August programme will have a theme each day: Monday, «For the People»; Tuesday will be devoted to «a bold vision for America’s future»; Wednesday to «a fight for our freedoms» and Thursday «For our future».
As for the participants, the appearance of some stars of the US music and entertainment industry has not been ruled out. There is speculation that Beyoncé – whose song Freedom is the theme song of the Harris campaign – and Taylor Swift could attend. Both endorsed the Democratic campaign in 2020.
Meanwhile, a march was held on the eve of the start of the Democratic caucus in Chicago to send a message – according to its organisers – that it is time for politicians to talk less and act more.
Several different activist groups came together as a united front, demanding action on reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the local TV station said.
Harris’s entry into the race after Biden’s exit from his run for a second term turned the election campaign on its head. At the moment there is a very close fight between the two main candidates.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, warned the day before on NBC News that «the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election», referring to former President Trump, if he continues to focus only on attacking his opponent.
