The Democratic National Convention begins Monday and will give Vice President Kamala Harris her biggest platform yet to make her case to voters, just a month after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race and thrust Harris to the top of the ticket.
Delegates and party officials will fill the United Center in Chicago for four days.
Meanwhile, protesters are expected in the streets outside the arena. Among the protesters will be those who oppose the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its war in Gaza.
Biden is expected to speak on the convention’s opening night in what could be a passing-of-the-torch moment.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to speak this week.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is expected to take the stage Wednesday while accepting his nomination.
And Harris will headline the final night of the convention.
Here are some themes to keep an eye on for the DNC.
INTRODUCING HARRIS
Even though Harris has been serving as vice president, she was very much in the background behind Biden, said Todd Belt, the Political Management program director at George Washington University.
“The campaign needs to introduce the candidates to America,” Belt said Sunday via email.
This is often done in speeches by high-profile party members, including ex-presidents and spouses.
Research shows that for those who decide who to vote for in the final weeks, the personal characteristics of the candidates matter most, Belt said.
“Monday night is supposed to be a passing of the baton of sorts from Biden to Harris,” University of Oklahoma politics professor Tyler Johnson said via email. “I'm curious to see the extent to which Biden is part of the narrative as the convention progresses. To what extent are speakers talking about administration successes and praising (Harris’) role in them, versus trying to put distance between her and the president to make her her own woman or to escape his negatives?”
SUBSTANCE, SHOW & SPEAKERS
“I'm interested to see more policy announcements from Harris,” University of Oklahoma politics professor Michael Crespin said Saturday via email. “This week she rolled out an economic agenda that seems to court more progressives with ideas around housing and price gouging. I'm curious to hear more about her foreign policy, especially on issues that split the party such as Israel and Gaza.”
Belt said the Harris-Walz campaign needs to discuss its policy proposals in concrete terms.
To some degree, that will come from the party platform hammered out at the convention. But the press and the public are getting impatient, he said.
“The Biden and Trump campaigns were mostly focused on attacking one another. But you can't beat something with nothing,” Belt said. “Elections are about the future, and Harris and Walz need to explain how an America under a Harris administration will make voters' lives better.”
Belt’s GW colleague, Peter Loge, said there will be plenty on the performance front to go along with the policy talk.
“Conventions are the political equivalent of professional wrestling,” Loge, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW, said via email. “They are more spectacle than politics. Politics happens, but that's not really the point, the point is the show about politics.”
Loge said he’ll also be watching for how Trump responds in real-time.
“He and his team could let the Democrats have a moment and take the week to regroup and refocus a campaign that has the discipline of a puppy in a fire hydrant factory,” Loge said. “I'm skeptical they'll do that, but it's worth watching for.”
Biden, Obama and both Clintons will be among the headline speakers.
“I'm actually more interested in some of the next tier speakers like Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg and others,” Crespin said. “Some of these speakers will be lobbying for potential cabinet positions and if Harris were to lose in 2024, the 2028 nomination.”
PROTESTS VS. UNITY
Loge said he’ll also be interested in how the media, the Democratic National Committee and the candidates respond to protests.
There will be protesters at the convention, as there are at every convention.
“The Democratic National Committee, which runs the convention, has to balance delegate and candidate safety, with the desire to put on a good show of unified Democrats, with the need not to alienate voters they need, with free speech rights,” Loge said. “How, and even if, they can strike that balance will be worth watching.”
Harris needs to be seen as strong but not so strong that she sparks backlash or drives away voters she needs, he said.
Crespin said he’s curious to see if the protests detract from the scripted message from the Democratic Party.
The party needs to be unified, Belt said.
“Young voters and voters of color have been re-energized by the switch to Harris, and this momentum needs to be maintained,” Belt said.
Any disruptions and divisions, particularly over Israel and Gaza, could threaten that unity, he said.
MOMENTUM
“Can the Democrats keep up the momentum?” Crespin said.
Once Biden decided to drop out of the race and endorse Harris, the “Democrats have been on a roll,” he said.
Harris moved ahead in the polls, and media coverage has been pretty positive, Crespin said.
Usually, candidates get a bit of a bounce in the polls after the convention due to a week of positive news. One possibility is Harris already got this bounce with all of the positive coverage once Biden dropped out.
Trump didn't get much of a bounce following the Republican National Convention, Crespin said.
The shakeup atop the Democratic ticket partially overshadowed Trump’s post-convention spotlight, Crespin said.
Johnson said Harris and Walz have framed their campaign as a “movement that is joyful, while Trump and Vance on the other hand come off as dour or scolding.”
“I'm interested in the extent to which those vibes come off in the messaging,” Johnson said. “We know how motivating attacking Trump can be; it's been the backbone of a lot of Democratic efforts up and down ballots in the past 8 years. Will this convention feel different in terms of tone, or will negativity reign like it does at most conventions?”