What to Expect at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Tuesday: First Black president set to give soaring oratory urging US to elect first Black female president
After President Biden closed out a fiery first night of the Democratic National Convention, on Tuesday Democrats will shift their focus to his potential successor, Vice President Kamala Harris – whose husband, Doug Emhoff, will address the gathering.
But first, the party and the convention’s host city of Chicago will hear from a favorite son, former President Barack Obama, and the state’s top official, Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois.
Here is what to watch for on Day 2 of Democratic National Convention in Chicago :
The theme. “A bold vision for America’s future” suggests that Monday’s plaudits for the Biden administration’s accomplishments were more of an elegy for Mr. Biden’s career than a signal for what would come under a Harris presidency. On Tuesday, expect more talk of policies that would be advanced by a Harris administration.
The second gentleman. Mr. Emhoff may talk about personal stories with regard to the vice president—his wife of 10 years and stepmother to his children—who could become the nation’s first first gentleman if Ms. Harris is elected. He is also likely to talk about his faith, Judaism, says Halie Soifer, the chief executive of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, who was a national security adviser to Ms. Harris in the Senate. Mr. Emhoff’s speech will reassure Jewish voters, Ms. Soifer said, at a time when the Harris campaign is trying to mollify Arab Americans and Muslim Americans who are incensed by the Biden administration’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza.
The governor. Mr. Pritzker is scheduled to hold a evening reception at Salt Shed, a former Morton’s Salt factory, topped by John Legend. But first, Mr. Pritzker, the man who helped bring the convention to his state, is scheduled to give a speech touting in part some of the progressive policies enacted on his watch in Illinois. He is known for bragging about his state being a kind of laboratory for national policies, from codifying abortion rights to legalizing marijuana to putting union organizing into the state Constitution.
The former president. Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, still own a house on the South Side of Chicago, and his presidential library is going up at the edge of the University of Chicago’s campus. Public appearances in the city that started his political career, though, are the rare exception these days. And expect a raucous hometown welcome for the Windy City’s son, and soaring oratory from the first Black president in American history as he urges the nation to elect its first Black female president. Michelle Obama, the former first lady and in her own right a Chicago powerhouse, will also speak from her alma mater, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.
Nominees: Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who made a surprise appearance on Monday night, will capitalize on Chicago’s proximity to the battleground state of Wisconsin by rallying voters in the same Milwaukee arena, Fiserv Forum, where former President Donald J. Trump was officially nominated by Republicans last month.
The Democratic standard-bearers will stick around to catch a glimpse of Night 2 from the swing state just to the north. Ms. Harris’s predecessor, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was faulted for giving scant attention to Wisconsin in 2016 before narrowly losing it to Mr. Trump. For Ms. Harris, it will be her third trip to the state during her presidential campaign, not even a month old.
