Joe and Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton to headline Democratic convention’s opening night
Hello, US politics blog readers, and thanks for joining us as we cover the first night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. Just a few weeks ago, we were expecting the four-day event to be all about Joe Biden and his campaign for a second term, but everything changed after the president bowed out of the race and allowed his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to take over as the party’s presidential nominee. Now in the final months of both his presidency and his more than 50-year career in politics, Biden remains an important figure among Democrats, and will give the keynote speech at the convention this evening.
Before Biden takes the stage (which we’re expecting at about 10pm CT), we’ll hear from first lady Jill Biden, and luminaries from across the party’s ideological spectrum, including Hillary Clinton, the party’s first female nominee for president, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congresswoman and progressive icon.
The convention kicked off at 5.15pm CT amid protests near the convention center against the war in Gaza.
Here’s what else we’ll be watching out for this evening:
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Tonight’s theme is “For the People”, and is intended to showcase how Democrats are, well, “fighting for the American people”, according to the convention’s organizing committee.
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The vice-president is expected to appear this evening, as is her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. But do not expect either to speak – Harris will deliver the final address of the convention on Thursday, and Walz will speak to the crowd on Wednesday.
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Harris and Walz have both already been formally nominated by the party, but the convention will nonetheless hold a ceremonial nomination of the Minnesota governor this evening.
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Speakers this evening will run the gamut, from members of Congress to state leaders, including longtime South Carolina representative and Biden confidante James Clyburn, New York governor Kathy Hochul and progressive Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
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Organized labor will be well-represented this evening, with joint remarks from six labor groups scheduled, as well as an address from United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.
Key events
After a video that credited his 1984 presidential run with paving the way for Barack Obama to become the first Black president 24 years later, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has come onstage.
He is in a wheelchair and waved at the crowd, without speaking. He is now being wheeled away by a group that includes Al Sharpton, again waving at the crowd as he goes.
Derrick Johnson, the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) civil rights group, opened his remarks with a veiled swipe at Donald Trump.
“Good evening. I’m Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, and I’m here to do my Black job,” Johnson began to laughs.
What’s a “Black job”? The remark is one of several instances of Trump stepping in it in his attempts to win the support of African American voters.
Jaime Harrison opens first night of Democratic convention
Democratic chair Jaime Harrison has officially kicked off the opening night of the party’s convention in Chicago.
“Hope and hard work can take you anywhere,” said Harrison. “That’s the America Democrats believe in, and that’s the America Democrats are fighting for.”
At least two people arrested at protest against Israel-Gaza war
George Chidi
The Guardian’s George Chidi, who is reporting from Chicago, writes there was a standoff between demonstrators and the police:
At least two people have been arrested in a fenced area between a park and the United Center, as protesters began disabling fences in the narrow gap.
Riot police lined up and marched protesters together, driving them back through a gap created in the fence. As police repaired one hole in the fence, masked protesters unlatched holes in other parts.
The standoff diminished into a quiet vigil around 5.20 CT, with about 200 people on one side of the fence and equal numbers of cops on the other.
Outside of the convention, thousands of protesters have been demonstrating against the US support for Israel amid the bombardment of Gaza.
Dozens of protesters had broken through a fence set up by police near the United Center, where the convention is being held, the Associated Press reported.
“We have to play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, to end US aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, told the AP.
Joe and Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton to headline Democratic convention’s opening night
Hello, US politics blog readers, and thanks for joining us as we cover the first night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. Just a few weeks ago, we were expecting the four-day event to be all about Joe Biden and his campaign for a second term, but everything changed after the president bowed out of the race and allowed his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to take over as the party’s presidential nominee. Now in the final months of both his presidency and his more than 50-year career in politics, Biden remains an important figure among Democrats, and will give the keynote speech at the convention this evening.
Before Biden takes the stage (which we’re expecting at about 10pm CT), we’ll hear from first lady Jill Biden, and luminaries from across the party’s ideological spectrum, including Hillary Clinton, the party’s first female nominee for president, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congresswoman and progressive icon.
The convention kicked off at 5.15pm CT amid protests near the convention center against the war in Gaza.
Here’s what else we’ll be watching out for this evening:
-
Tonight’s theme is “For the People”, and is intended to showcase how Democrats are, well, “fighting for the American people”, according to the convention’s organizing committee.
-
The vice-president is expected to appear this evening, as is her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. But do not expect either to speak – Harris will deliver the final address of the convention on Thursday, and Walz will speak to the crowd on Wednesday.
-
Harris and Walz have both already been formally nominated by the party, but the convention will nonetheless hold a ceremonial nomination of the Minnesota governor this evening.
-
Speakers this evening will run the gamut, from members of Congress to state leaders, including longtime South Carolina representative and Biden confidante James Clyburn, New York governor Kathy Hochul and progressive Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
-
Organized labor will be well-represented this evening, with joint remarks from six labor groups scheduled, as well as an address from United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.