US election: when is the Democratic convention and why does it matter?
Kamala Harris is in Chicago to formally accept the nomination for president of the Democratic party, less than two months after Joe Biden dropped out of the race. She will appear alongside her running mate, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, at the party’s national convention.
The convention will also honor Biden’s half-century career in politics as senator, vice-president and president, with Jill Biden among those paying tribute. He will give the keynote address Monday night and Harris is likely to join him on stage.
Typically a party formally nominates their candidate at the convention – as the Republicans did for Donald Trump in July – however, Democrats changed the rules to put in place a virtual roll call. Harris and Walz were officially nominated earlier in August.
Here’s what else to know about next week’s Democratic convention.
Where and when is the Democratic national convention?
The Democratic national convention will be held in Chicago from 19 to 22 August.
Chicago previously played host to the convention in 1996, when Bill Clinton was nominated for re-election, and 1968 when Hubert Humphrey was nominated.
Two venues in Chicago will host the convention: the United Center arena for evening programming, and McCormick Place convention center for daytime sessions.
Who is speaking at the convention?
Harris and Walz will both speak at the convention and Biden will give a speech on Monday night.
The full lineup of speakers has not yet been released (Republicans only released the names of confirmed speakers the day of their July convention).
However, several big names have been confirmed:
Monday, 19 August: Biden will speak on the opening night, along with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Tuesday, 20 August: Former president Barack Obama will give an address on the second night.
Wednesday, 21 August: Former president Bill Clinton will join Walz on the convention’s third night.
Thursday, 22 August: Harris will close out the fourth night of the convention.
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Who is speaking Monday night?
Joe Biden will take centre stage 9.50pm CT on Monday evening.
Speakers will include former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The speaking line-up also includes Chris Coons, a Delaware senator, and Raphael Warnock, a Georgia senator; Jamie Raskin, representative of Maryland, and Jasmine Crockett, representative of Texas; Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky; Shawn Fain, president of the UAW union; and “women that have been subjected to cruel and dangerous abortion bans under Donald Trump”.
How can I watch the convention?
The party will livestream the convention on its Democratic national convention website and on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
The Guardian has a team of reporters in Chicago and will be covering the convention in depth, including live blogs each night.
Major news networks are likely to carry prime-time programming. In the US, PBS will have live coverage beginning at 8pm each night.
What happens at the Democratic convention?
The primary functions of the convention is to formally nominate the party’s candidate, adopt the party’s platform, unify the party and boost enthusiasm for the ticket.
The convention usually includes a roll call to formally nominate their candidate. However, the rule-making group for the Democratic National Committee established procedures for candidates to contest the primary nomination ahead of the convention.
Harris was confirmed as the party’s nominee after a virtual roll call vote earlier in August – the first time Democrats have used such a process. Harris and Walz will formally accept the nomination at the convention.
The rest of the week will focus on the party’s platform and speeches from notable figures. The party says that more than 5,000 delegates and alternates will be at the convention, with 50,000 total visitors in Chicago for the convention (which includes delegates and the media).
Will there be protests?
Yes. Organizers expect tens of thousands of people to protest outside the Democratic national convention to pressure the party to stop the war in Gaza. Inside the convention, uncommitted delegates plan to push anti-war demands in hopes of winning more allies to the cause and influencing the party platform.
Chicago is home to the country’s largest Palestinian population – with Bridgeview, Illinois, known as Little Palestine. More than 200 groups have joined together for the March on the DNC, with protests planned for the opening and closing nights of the convention.
On Monday, organizers for the Coalition to March on the 2024 Democratic convention drew 172 local and national organizations together for the protest. Thousands of people gathered for the march, one of the main anti-war demonstrations this week.
Protests are not unique to the Democratic convention; during the Republican convention in July, protesters led a demonstration against Trump and his party in downtown Milwaukee.
What’s ahead on the US election calendar?
The next presidential debate is scheduled for 10 September, with both Harris and Trump confirmed.
A debate between JD Vance and Walz has been confirmed for 1 October.
