DNC kicks off in Chicago to nominate Harris-Walz as anti-Israel protesters prepare counter-rally

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) begins Monday as top Democrats travel to Chicago to celebrate the party’s presidential nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The convention, which will be held at the United Center in Chicago, starts Monday and runs through Thursday, when Harris will formally accept the nomination with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

Anti-Israel protesters are expected to demonstrate outside the event, opposing the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel in its nearly 11-month war with Hamas in Gaza.

The DNC said the party will celebrate the record of the Biden-Harris administration and ‘chart a path for the future.’ 

The convention will ‘show America what Democrats stand for and tell the story of our proven track record of delivering for all Americans,’ the DNC said. 

‘But the story is far from over,’ the party says. ‘At the convention, Democrats will come together to build on our progress, lay out what’s at stake in this election, and unite around our shared values of democracy and freedom to create a future for all Americans.’ 

The DNC said it is holding the 2024 nominating convention in Chicago because the city ‘represents the diversity of the Democratic Party and the country.’ 

‘It’s a union city that sits in the heart of the Midwest, and it’s a Democratic stronghold that was part of the ‘blue wall’ crucial to the Biden-Harris victory in 2020 and will be for a Harris-Walz victory in November,’ the DNC said. 

The convention in 1996, where Democrats nominated President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore for re-election, was also held in Chicago in the same arena. 

‘Our convention is an opportunity to bring the story of our party to the American people — not just the story of what we’ve achieved under the Biden-Harris administration, but how the Harris-Walz ticket is planning to build on that historic record for a new way forward into the future,’ said Convention Chair Minyon Moore. ‘The story here is simple and it’s one that will resonate with Americans across the country: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for the American people and America’s future — Donald Trump is only fighting for himself.’

The DNC announced that each night of the convention will have a theme. 

Monday night will be ‘for the people,’ and speakers will present that ‘at its core, the Harris-Walz ticket is a ticket for the people.’ 

Tuesday night will be a ‘Bold Vision for America’s Future,’ and will focus on how the Harriz-Walz ticket intends to present a ‘brighter vision where everyone will have a chance not just to get by, but to get ahead.’ 

Wednesday night’s theme is ‘A Fight for Our Freedoms,’ and Thursday night’s theme is ‘For Our Future.’ 

The Democrats’ convention comes nearly a month after the president’s blockbuster July 21 announcement that he was suspending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris following his disastrous performance against former President Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, in their late June debate.

Biden’s rambling and uneven answers at the debate fueled questions over whether the 81-year-old president had the physical and mental abilities to handle another four years in the White House and sparked a chorus of calls from within his own party to end his 2024 campaign.

Biden eventually caved to the pressure, announcing the suspension of his re-election campaign just days after the Republican National Convention ended with a solidified GOP ticket of Trump and running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. 

Biden, in his announcement to suspend his bid for the White House, nominated his vice president to take over. 

Democrats desperate to keep Trump from returning to the White House quickly coalesced around Harris, who last week was formally nominated by the party in a virtual roll call. 

Biden is expected to address the Democratic National Convention Monday night to open the week’s events. Sources said his speech will focus on the ‘successes of the Biden-Harris Administration,’ including ‘successfully overcoming a once in a century pandemic, transforming an economy that was flat on its back to the strongest economy in the world, defending democracy at home and abroad, and restoring decency and dignity to the White House.’

First Lady Jill Biden will also speak to the party Monday night, along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to speak at the convention Monday night, followed by former President Barack Obama on Tuesday and former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will also speak at the convention in an effort to rally support for the Harris-Walz ticket. She’ll speak about the importance of civic engagement and voting.

Also speaking at the Democratic National Convention will be Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

Walz is expected to accept the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night and address the party. 

Walz can showcase a slew of progressive policy victories in Minnesota, including protecting abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana and restricting gun access to curb shootings. 

Walz was elected to the House in 2006 and re-elected five times, representing Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, a mostly rural district covering the southern part of the state that includes a number of midsize cities. During his last two years on Capitol Hill, he served as ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. 

Walz won election as governor in 2018 and re-election four years later.

Harris will accept the nomination in a nationally televised address Thursday night. 

Harris has enjoyed a surge in fundraising after replacing Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, and her July haul was more than double the funds raised last month by Trump. Additionally, Harris saw another spike in fundraising after naming Walz as her running mate a week ago.

The vice president and Walz quickly hit the campaign trail with a swing through the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. 

Even though both Harris and Walz have been officially nominated, convention organizers say there will be ceremonial roll calls in Chicago. 

And while a mostly unified and now energized Democratic Party will meet inside the United Center arena on Chicago’s West Side, outside the security perimeter, there will likely be scenes of anger and dissent – as demonstrators protesting the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel plan to take to the streets.

Party officials are hoping to avoid any type of repeat of their 1968 convention in Chicago, when scenes of fighting erupted among delegates, and clouds of tear gas and police batons used to smash protests, as divided Democrats brawled over the Vietnam War.

While Democrats are divided over the U.S. response to the soaring death toll among Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war, political pundits say comparisons to the 1968 chaos are not justifiable.

However, the Coalition to March on the D.N.C., an umbrella group of organizations on the left that is helping to organize the planned protests, said in a social media posting on Sunday that Democratic Party officials ‘underestimate our rage, our tenacity, and our steadfast commitment to the precious life of every Palestinian person enduring this horrific genocide. We’re fighting back.’

Protesters are trading fire with Chicago officials over where they will be allowed to march during the convention. The activists are aiming for a longer route, which they say would better accommodate the tens of thousands of people they hope will protest. A federal judge overseeing the dispute between the protesters and city officials has yet to make a decision.