CHICAGO– The Democratic National Convention entered its third day on Wednesday with a lineup that included former President Bill Clinton and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as closer, who is pitching himself as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Given the truncated nature of the chaotic presidential race, the convention is an important opportunity for voters to get to know Harris and Walz better.
Here are some takeaways from the third night of the DNC.
Clinton has spoken at 13 consecutive Democratic National Conventions since 1976. On Wednesday night, he admitted, “I have no idea how many more of these events I’ll be able to attend.”
It was a striking admission from a politician whose dominance has earned him the nickname The Big Dog. Clinton, who just turned 78, was not fazed by his age but instead used it as a dig at the GOP candidate, declaring, “I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”
In his 27-minute speech, Clinton leaned on what he has seen in recent decades and the burdens of history. He warned the convention crowd that no matter how good they feel, the campaign will be tough.
“You should never underestimate your opponent,” Clinton said, a comment that could be taken as a reference to the fact that his wife, Hillary Clinton, narrowly missed out on running for president in 2016.
In a country that is deeply polarized, there was one group that received loud applause at both the Republican and Democratic party conventions: the parents of young men taken hostage in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Last month in Milwaukee, Ronen and Orna Neutra told attendees about the kidnapping of their adult son Omer and led the crowd in a chant of “bring them home!” On Wednesday, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped on Oct. 7, took the stage with the same chant.
“This is a political convention,” Jon Polin said. “But the fact that our only son and all the cherished hostages should be home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.”
At the RNC, several speakers — though not the Neutras — criticized Biden and Harris for failing to deter Hamas from attacking and for neglecting the hostagesPolin and Goldberg, for their part, said they have spoken repeatedly to the president and vice president and praised their efforts.
While Hamas was portrayed as a threat to the United States at the Republican Party convention, the Democratic Party convention has been conspicuously silent on the war, even as pro-Palestinian protests have been demonstrating outside the convention to demand that the administration end its support for Israel.
The January 6th Uprising of 2021 has been a staple of Democratic campaigns since the attack on the U.S. Capitol shocked the country. Democrats gave it a prominent place on Wednesday night.
The centerpiece was a video of Trump urging his supporters to march on the Capitol, attacks on police officers and the Republican presidential candidate. promises grace those who were being prosecuted. That last bit drew chants of “lock him up” from Democratic delegates.
Democrats, however, want to tread carefully, lest an attack on American democracy become just another partisan issue.
For that reason, the segment began with Republicans voicing their concerns about Trump. Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan recalled threats from Trump supporters when he refused the then-president’s demands in 2020 to declare him the winner in Georgia instead of Joe Biden.
Duncan told his fellow Republicans that if they vote for Harris, “you’re not a Democrat. You’re a patriot.”
The theme of Wednesday night’s convention was “Freedom.” Backed by Beyoncé’s song of the same name, which the musician has authorized Harris’ campaign to use, the word flashed across the video screen and in speech after speech at the United Center.
Democrats explicitly linked it to the fight for reproductive rights, which only really got underway after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
“Donald Trump wants women to have less freedom and pregnancy to be more dangerous,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, told delegates.
But Democrats also used the liberty argument to criticize Republicans on other social issues, from gay rights to increasing bans on books in schools.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a gay man who is raising two children with his husband, linked it to the conservative Project 2025. The agenda was developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation and is seen as a potential blueprint for a second Trump term, though Trump says it has nothing to do with his campaign.
“Project 2025 would turn the entire federal government into one massive machine, used as a weapon to control our reproductive choices,” Polis said.
The Democratic Party boasts a cache of celebrity supporters who have repeatedly lent their glamour and opened their wallets to the party. Now they’re teaming up with those who have achieved fame in a decidedly 21st-century way: online.
More than 200 content creators and influencers were given access to the backstage events of the DNC this week. And with tens of millions of followers, their coverage of the events could do more to spread politicians’ messages than traditional media and celebrity endorsements.
On TikTok, influencers like Deja Foxx are posting “OOTD” (outfit of the day) videos from the DNC’s blue carpet. Her Wednesday outfit included a matching khaki set, a pair of Nike Air Force Ones, and an oversized Prada coat with giant pockets to hold all her gear, “because slay,” she tells her 141,000 followers.
The creator has already interviewed Harris on her social media pages and spoke on behalf of the Arizona delegation at the DNC.
Carlos Eduardo Espina, a Spanish-language influencer with 10.2 million followers on TikTok, delivered a speech at the convention on Wednesday night, appealing to young Latino voters who are crucial to Harris’s election.
Espina joined a senator, a border congressman and a Texas sheriff in defending the Biden-Harris position on immigration. “Being pro-immigrant is being pro-America,” he said.
The playlist at the Republican convention in Milwaukee last month was dominated by classic rock. Now that the Democrats are convening in Chicago, the music selection is much more diverse.
The dueling soundtracks are a reflection of the two parties’ dramatically different voting bases. The GOP convention leaned heavily on the radio rock that was popular when much of their older, white base was young in the 1960s and 1970s. The Democrats’ musical offerings, meanwhile, include rap, R&B, indie rock, country, Americana and yes, some classic rock too, befitting the party’s multiracial coalition.
The first two nights of the DNC featured performances by Atlanta rapper Lil Jon and Americana singer-songwriter Jason Isbell. Wednesday’s lineup included R&B-listers Stevie Wonder and John Legend, with the latter covering songs by Minnesota icon Prince. Pop star Pink is scheduled to perform on the final night.
The GOP convention had a house band that sang covers of Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. The house band also backed country singer Lee Greenwood, who sang “God Bless the USA.” Rap-rocker Kid Rock, an outspoken conservative, also performed.
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Riccardi reported from Denver. AP reporter Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.