CHICAGO– The Democratic National Convention The second night spotlighted the party’s former presidents, most notably Chicago’s own Barack Obama. Democrats also went all out in promoting a cross-party appeal, featuring a former spokeswoman for Donald Trump and a Republican mayor of Arizona.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left Chicago for a rally just across the highway in Milwaukee, seeking to entice voters in the swing state of Wisconsin. It’s an acknowledgement that, regardless of the good vibes at the convention, Democrats expect this presidential election to be razor-sharp.
Here are some conclusions from the second evening of the conference.
If the Republican convention was all about Trump, Democrats on Tuesday wanted to place Harris in a pantheon of past presidents. It wasn’t just Obama who would make the vice president’s case. The convention turned to the grandsons of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy to paint her as the natural heir to past Democratic leaders as well.
As groundbreaking as Harris’ candidacy is as the first woman of color to be nominated by her party, these speeches from a former president and her presidential progeny were primarily aimed at connecting her to a broader historical arc, creating a nostalgic message that can inspire an increasingly aging electorate.
“Kamala Harris carries the legacy of my grandfather,” said Jason Carter, the grandson of the 39th president. “She knows what’s right and she fights for it.”
Jack Schlossberg suggested that Harris continue Kennedy’s agenda.
“She believes in America the way my grandfather did,” Schlossberg said. “That we don’t do things because they’re easy, we do things because they’re hard.”
Political conventions are essentially held so that delegates can nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.
This year, the Democrats have already completed that task. But that didn’t stop them from holding a ceremonial rematch and turning it into a lavish dance party.
DJ Cassidy took the stage in a bright blue double-breasted suit and spun songs for each state as they nominated Harris and Walz. Minnesota got “1999” from local son Prince, Kansas got “Carry on Wayward Son” from, well, Kansas. Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” was played as New Jersey joined in.
Usually, it was governors or party leaders who called the votes, but some states passed the microphone around to make serious points. Kate Cox, who unsuccessfully sued her home state of Texas when she sought an abortion for a nonviable fetus, announced Texas’ votes. A survivor of the 2017 strip-gun massacre in Las Vegas announced Nevada’s votes.
The highlight of the roll call came when Atlanta rapper Lil Jon walked through the United Center to the beats of “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake, and showed his support for Harris and Walz.
Democrats are keen to emphasise how Harris’ rise has energised the party, and the roll call fit that vibe.
Democrats are trying to appeal to disaffected Trump voters, and they used one of his former White House aides to make their case.
Stephanie Grisham served in several roles in Trump’s White House, including communications director and press secretary, allowing Democrats to argue that those who know Trump best have seen him at his worst.
“He has no empathy, no morals, no loyalty to the truth,” Grisham said. “I could no longer be a part of the madness.”
Kyle Sweetser, a Trump voter from Alabama, told the convention that the former president’s tariffs made life harder for construction workers like him. Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, was also scheduled to speak Tuesday about why he’s supporting Harris. Giles sees Trump’s policies as harmful to cities like his.
Each day of the DNC there will be a speaker holding a massive tome designed to Policy Book Project 2025 from the conservative Heritage Foundation.
On the one hand, Project 2025 is a typical Washington effort, where a bunch of nerds and activists band together to map out a possible agenda for the next president. In this case, the authors include many officials who served in the Trump administration and remain close to the candidate. Organizers say they’ve convinced dozens of conservative groups to sign on to the effort, making it far more meaningful than your average collection of policy documents.
Democrats are using Project 2025 as shorthand for their warnings about what could happen in a second Trump term, notably possible overhauls of civil service rules to ensure more of the federal workforce is loyal to the president. But it also contains page after page of other proposals that have been fodder for attacks from the convention stage.
On Tuesday, it was Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta’s turn to brandish the big book. “It’s a radical plan to drag us back,” he declared.
Senator Gary Peters of Michigan did not use the initiative, but did mention it by name.
And Harris joined the conversation from Milwaukee, saying to the protesting crowd, “Can you believe they put that on paper?”
