DNC Day 4: Harris accepts presidential nomination at DNC, asks Americans to reject divisions
The Democratic National Convention's fourth night featured Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nomination.
After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Harris accepted her party’s nomination. The convention is now over.
The theme of the final night was “For Our Future."
Here's a look at the night's events:
Day 4 of the DNC ends
The fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention has been gaveled out, ending the four-day event.
Harris hosts an ‘anniversary’ party for staffers
After her speech, Harris went to another part of the United Center and briefly addressed a group of staffers and supporters at a postconvention speech party.
“We just decided that we would celebrate our anniversary with all of you,” said Harris who accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on her and her husband Doug Emhoff’s 10th wedding anniversary.
The party included former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin former Obama White House social secretary Desirée Rogers.
“Our fight is deeply and truly borne out of love of country,” Harris said, adding, “celebrate tonight” and “it’s been a wonderful convention.”
Protestors clash with Chicago police
A few dozen protesters fought briefly with Chicago police on the edge of Union Park.
The small group, leftover from the earlier demonstration, planned to march toward the convention center, but they were blocked by rows of police in riot gear who pushed into the group, shouting, “Move back.”
Several of the protesters surged forward, with some swinging wooden signs down on the officers. The group has since retreated to the park, where an organizer said they plan to regroup. Police have ordered all media to leave the area, warning over a loudspeaker, “If you fail to comply, you will be in violation of the law and we will place you into custody.”
Harris’ blended family is a political first
The image of a mixed-race family joining the candidate on stage as she accepts the nomination to potentially be the first Black and Asian American female president is a political first in many ways.
Harris closes DNC by summoning Americans to reject political divisions
After speaking for about 37 minutes, Harris wrapped up her speech and was joined on stage by her husband, Doug Emhoff, along with running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen.
Family members began to play with some of the 100,000 red, white and blue balloons that began to cascade from netting where they’d been held in the ceiling all week.
Harris reaffirms her support for Ukraine and NATO
Harris made a forceful defense of Ukraine and NATO in her speech as she lambasted Trump’s past comments on the war in Ukraine.
“As President, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” Harris said.
Harris touted that five days before Russia invaded Ukraine, “I warned President Zelenskyy” and helped lead the U.S. diplomatic response in rallying “more than 50 countries.”
Access to United Center has been restricted
The DNC has restricted access to the United Center, which is at capacity, in the final hours of the convention, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
A fire department spokesperson said on X that the decision was made by the DNC in consultation with Chicago fire officials. He said both city fire and DNC officials would continue to monitor the situation.
Crowds of credentialed journalists were photographed outside the United Center, where they were not allowed entry into the stadium. The United Center can hold about 23,500 people.
‘The scale of suffering is heartbreaking’
In a stunning departure from the Biden campaign, Harris made the U.S.’s most forceful message yet on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
The vice president said that she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” while pushing for the release of the hostages and the implementation of a cease-fire deal.
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza in the last 10 months is devastating, so many innocent lives lost,” Harris said. “Desperate, hungry people fleeing to safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”
Harris looks to flip the script on border security
Border security has been a major point of GOP criticism for Harris and her campaign, but the Democrat is drawing big cheers from her arena of delegates for her border plans.
Harris said, “I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system.”
She also criticized Trump for his own actions, saying he “ordered his allies in Congress to kill” a border bill.
“Well, I refuse to play politics with our security,” she said, pledging to “bring back the bipartisan border security bill” and saying she’d sign it into law.
Outside the DNC, protestors hold a sit-in
While Harris is in the middle of her nomination acceptance speech inside the Democratic National Convention, protestors outside have staged an impromptu sit-in on Chicago’s Ashland Avenue.
The man leading it, who declined to be identified, said he initially sat because he was exhausted from hours of marching. Before long, about 100 others had joined him, singing “Which Side Are You On?” over bongo players and an electric guitar. While police initially called on the group to disburse, they retreated after the request was ignored.
Signs are a big thing at the convention
For Harris’ key moment, there are many color-coordinated options around the United Center.
Delegates have vertical blue signs with “Kamala” written out. Many people have added American flags handed out earlier in the night atop the post holding those blue signs, hoisting the flags further aloft.
Delegates in the seats directly in front of Harris — between the stage and the platform that holds a number of cameras broadcasting the convention — have smaller rectangular signs reading “Harris-Walz.”
Harris blasts Trump on abortion
In her speech, Harris touched on what has become the central policy issue of her vice presidency and now her campaign: the risk to reproductive rights.
“Tonight in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions,” she said.
“And let’s be clear about how we got here: Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive rights.” She added, “One must ask why exactly is it that they don’t trust women? Well, we trust women.”
Harris promises an ‘opportunity economy’
“The middle class is where I come from,” Harris said, describing for delegates how her late mother kept a “strict budget” and “we lived within our means.”
She said her mother taught her and her sister, Maya, that opportunity is not available to everyone.
But now Harris promises to create an “opportunity economy,” where she said, “everyone has the chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”
She also promised a “middle-class tax cut.”
Harris charts ‘a new way forward’
“We are not going back” chants broke out in the venue as Harris criticized Trump’s record and began outlining her vision for the nation.
“We are charting a new way forward, forward to a future with a strong middle class,” Harris said. “And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.”
Harris lays out her case against Trump
Harris issued warnings about how Trump’s prior willingness to violate the law indicates a willingness for a reckless second term if he’s elected to the White House again.
The former prosecutor listed off Trump’s conviction in the New York fraud case, as well as the judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll case.
“Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States, not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security but to serve the only client that he has ever had: himself,” Harris warned.
‘A president for all Americans’
The loudest applause came after Harris made a plea to all across the aisle, saying that she pledges to uphold the rule of law.
“I promise to be a president for all Americans, to hold sacred America’s constitutional principles, fundamental principles, from the rule of law and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
Harris said her best friend Wanda is one of the reasons she became a prosecutor
She said Wanda confided in her that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather when they were in high school. Harris invited her friend to come live with her.
“This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor,” Harris said. “Everyone has a right to safety and to dignity and to justice.”
‘Kamala Harris, for the people’
One of the advantages of having run for president before is that Harris has had time to hone parts of the campaign speech that comprises pieces of what she’s delivering at the DNC.
In her 2020 presidential bid, Harris often spoke of her role as a prosecutor and the personal experiences that inspired her to take on that career.
She also reflected, verbatim, several lines that date back to least her 2019 campaign launch, saying that she always introduced herself as “Kamala Harris, for the people.”
Afterward, Harris said that she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, to a roaring, sign-waving crowd.
Video below: See the moment Harris accepted the nomination
Harris reflects on her parents’ social-justice values
Harris drew a direct line between her current values and politics with her upbringing in a civil rights-oriented household. Harris noted that her parents met amid the civil rights movement and raised her with values of social justice.
“My mother was a five-foot-tall, brown woman with an accent,” Harris said. “And as the eldest child … I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool,” Harris said.
“She taught us to never complain about injustice but to do something about it,” Harris said to cheers. “And she also told us to never do something ‘half-assed.’ And that is a direct quote,” Harris said.
Harris honors her parents
Harris might be a well-known figure as vice president, but, on the biggest stage of her presidential campaign thus far, she’s still took the opportunity to get into some biography.
After a speech by her sister, Maya, who made repeated references to their mother’s accomplishments, Harris — who doesn’t frequently mention her father — spoke about both of her parents, then her upbringing, primarily at the hands of her mother.
In an emotional tribute to her mother and father, Harris talked about the lessons she learned from both her parents who divorced when she was young. “My mother would stay, stay close,” she said. “But my father would say as he smiled, ‘Run Kamala! Run! Don’t be afraid. Don’t let anything stop you.’”
Kamala Harris gets standing ovation, speaks on for the fourth and final night of the DNC
Harris was greeted by an ovation that spanned nearly 3 minutes before she was able to begin her speech.
“OK, let’s get to business,” Harris said after thunderous cheers drowned out her attempts to get started.
“And happy anniversary, Dougie,” she said, marking their 10th wedding anniversary.
Video below: Harris wishes Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff a happy anniversary.
Harris takes the stage to give acceptance speech
Vice President Kamala Harris took to the DNC stage to give her acceptance speech for the party’s presidential nomination.
In accepting the party nomination, Harris is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to accept a major party's presidential nomination.
Gov. Roy Cooper knows the crowd wants Harris
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper isn’t beating around the bush in prime-time programming: He knows delegates are ready to hear from their nominee.
Cooper took the stage Thursday noting that he’s “the last guy standing between you and the moment we’re all waiting for” — Harris’ acceptance of the Democratic nomination.
Cooper recalled how he served alongside Harris when both were attorneys general in their respective states.
Cooper’s name had been floated as a possible VP for Harris after she ascended to the top of Democrats’ ticket.
Maya Harris honors her and Kamala’s mother
Harris’ sister is, as the VP often does, talking about her mother’s support in her daughters growing up to be strong women.
Maya Harris says that her mother “was a trailblazer who defied the odds and defied herself.”
Kamala Harris often talks about her mother’s influence on her understanding of the world and her commitment to fighting for the rights of others.
“Kamala’s entire life has been about fighting for each of us to have that freedom,” Maya Harris said, of her sister.
Getting choked up, Maya Harris said she wished her mother could be present in the hall tonight, saying she could envision seeing her smiling and saying “how proud she is of Kamala,” before telling “all of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, speaks at the DNC
Rep. Adam Kinzinger was the latest Republican to speak on the DNC stage in support of the Harris-Walz ticket. Kinzinger retired from Congress after he criticized his own party in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Joe Biden from becoming president. Kinzinger, at the invitation of Democrats, defied his leadership to join Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as a member of the House committee investigating the attack.
“Some have questioned why I’ve taken the stand I have,” Kinzinger said. “The answer is simple, ladies and gentlemen. We must put country first. And tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first.”
He added, “I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the constitution and democracy.”
Eva Longoria also worked at a fast-food restaurant
Actress Eva Longoria says that Harris “worked at McDonald’s, but I worked at Wendy’s.”
“And look at us now,” Longoria declared.
Harris has frequently discussed previously working at McDonald’s as she works to make her middle-class upbringing more relatable to voters.
Gov. Whitmer addresses the DNC, portrays Trump as being out of touch
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, and that’s the sort of welcome she got at the United Center.
The Michigan Democrat took the stage to big cheers, telling the at-capacity crowd that she’s known in Detroit as “Big Gretch,” and, as a woman, knows how to “GSD — get stuff done.”
Talking about Harris, Whitmer said the Democratic nominee “gets us. She sees us. She is us.”
But of the GOP nominee, Whitmer went on, “Donald Trump doesn’t know you, at all.”
“Hell, you think he’s even been to a grocery store?” Whitmer asked, implying Trump is out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans.
Whitmer’s name is often mentioned as a future presidential candidate for Democrats.
Swing state officials get prime speaking (and seating)
They’ll play a big role in the general election, but the swing states are also being well represented at this week’s DNC.
Throughout the week, representatives from the battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona have been making appearances on the United Center stage.
Those speakers, like Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, haven’t necessarily spent lots of time talking specifically about why their states would be critical wins for Democrats. But as they take the stage, they get a big welcome from their state’s delegation — and it’s no accident that lots of those delegations have prime seating in the arena.
P!nk duets protest song with her 12-year-old daughter
P!nk dueted with her 12-year-old daughter Willow Sage Hart on her song “What About Us” at the Democratic convention.
The two, wearing black and accompanied by only a few backup singers and an acoustic guitar, harmonized in sober but heartfelt tones on the 2017 protest song P!nk co-wrote.
“What about all the broken happy ever afters?” the mother and daughter sang. “What about all the plans that ended in disaster?”
Their performance came after Rep. Gabby Giffords and others affected by gun violence had given emotional presentations to the crowd.
Sen. Mark Kelly stresses the importance of teamwork
The Arizona Democrat said Thursday, “I’ve flown into space four times. I’ve flown into combat nearly 40 times. Not once did I do that by myself.”
In a somewhat rare occurrence during the convention’s closing night, Kelly invoked Trump’s name, saying that the GOP nominee “skipped his intelligence briefings” because he was “too busy sucking up to dictators and dreaming of becoming one himself.”
Kelly also quipped that it was tough to follow his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who got a lengthy ovation Thursday as she appeared and talked about the 2011 shooting that left her gravely wounded.
“President Obama had to follow Michelle,” Kelly said, recollecting the convention schedule from Tuesday. “I had to follow Gabby and Pink.”
Shooting survivor and former Rep. Gabby Giffords advocates for firearm legislation
After surviving a mass shooting at a 2011 meet-and-greet event, former Rep. Gabby Giffords was joined by her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, to bring light to the issue of gun violence in America.
“Kamala can beat the gun lobby and can beat gun trafficking,” said Giffords, who opened the Giffords Law Center to track and analyze firearm legislation in all 50 states.
Five people affected by gun violence share their stories
Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, who has become one of the top congressional advocates against gun violence, spoke of how she lost her son Jordan to gun violence in 2012.
“They should still be here,” Newtown, Connecticut, teacher Abbey Clements said of the students and staff killed at her elementary school in 2012.
Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas, recalled the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in where her daughter was killed.
Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina, said her niece was 22 when she was shot to death in Myrtle Beach in 2014. Edgar Vilchez of Chicago said he “learned how to hide and how to drop” in school, to escape violence, but that there are also lessons in “writing the story that we choose to” when it comes to lessening gun violence.
Joe and Jill Biden wish Harris luck from their vacation in California
This was supposed to be the night when President Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for a second term on stage in Chicago.
Instead, he’s on vacation in California as Harris prepares to become the party’s nominee.
The White House said Biden and first lady Jill Biden called Harris to wish her luck before her speech.
“We can’t wait to watch her accept this historic nomination,” Biden wrote on social media. “Kamala and Tim will inspire a generation and lead us into the future.”
‘An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change,' Interior Secretary says
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, said Vice President Kamala Harris is the best candidate to confront the climate crisis.
“An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change,’’ Haaland told delegates at the DNC. “We need a president who understands that assignment. That’s Kamala Harris. I know her record. She held polluters accountable for spilling oil into the San Francisco Bay. She defended President Obama’s Clean Power Plan in court. And as vice president, she cast a tie-breaking vote for the most ambitious climate action plan in our nation’s history,’’ the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will fight for a future where we all have clean air, clean water and healthy communities,’’ Haaland said to thunderous cheers.
Democrats get some help on pronouncing Harris’ name correctly
How to correctly pronounce Harris’ first name has come up repeatedly. At the DNC’s closing night, prime-time emcee Kerry Washington brought the nominee’s great nieces on stage to help.
“It’s come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle, or pretend to struggle, with the proper pronunciation of our future president’s name,” the “Scandal” actor said to kick off prime-time speeches. “Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not. So tonight we are going to help everyone get it right.”
Washington then brought up Amara, 8, and Leela, 6 — daughters of Harris’ niece Meena Harris — to lead the United Center crowd in a call-and-response chat about putting together “comma” and then “la.”
Some Republicans, including Trump, regularly pronounce Harris’ first name incorrectly as “Kah-MAH-la.” When asked why, Trump said last month that he had heard Harris’ first name said “about seven different ways.”
At the DNC, some speakers have pronounced Harris’ name incorrectly, including former President Bill Clinton and Rev. Al Sharpton.
Kerry Washington: ’You are the Olivia Popes!”
Actor Kerry Washington told the audience, “You are the fixers, you are the Olivia Popes!” as she opened the prime-time hours as host of the final night of the Democratic convention.
Washington has been best known in recent years for the ABC TV series “Scandal,” on which she plays Olivia Pope, crisis manager to a U.S. president, played by Monday night’s DNC host Tony Goldwyn. Goldwyn appeared on stage, hugged her, and helped her shoot a video of the arena.
Washington has been among the most vocal Hollywood supporters of Harris since she became a presidential candidate last month.
She was also a big supporter of President Biden, playing a virtual hosting role at the 2020 COVID-19-limited convention that brought his nomination.
The Chicks kept it a capella for the national anthem
The Chicks, the Texas trio of Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer were minus their banjos, fiddle and guitar as they sang in three-part harmony (with no audible effects) at the United Center.
They sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the same style at the 2020 convention, but that rendition was remote and prerecorded for the COVID-19-limited convention.
Little-known names performed the anthem to open the first three nights of the Chicago convection, but “The Star-Spangled Banner” was moved to prime time Thursday night, not long before Harris is scheduled to speak.
The Chicks have never been shy about getting into the political mix.
They dropped the “Dixie” from the front of their name — timed to the release of “March, March,” a song about social justice — amid the nationwide George Floyd protests and a surge in Black Lives Matter sentiment.
In 2003 during the run-up to the Iraq War, Maines said on stage in London that they were ashamed that President George W. Bush was from Texas.
That led to a big backlash and exile from many country circles. They turned the negative attention into one of their biggest hits, 2006’s “Not Ready to Make Nice.”
Chicago drumline continues convention tradition
The Democratic primary is over, but remnants of one of its mainstays made an appearance at the United Center: a drumline.
On Thursday night, several white-clad drummers played an energetic set, including a moment where one of them played the drums while being held upside down.
Especially at Democratic presidential primary events, drumlines are a frequent fixture of many political events. During the 2020 cycle, Harris appeared at a Charleston, South Carolina, event where drumlines from several local colleges performed.
NBA all-star Steph Curry endorses Harris over video at DNC
He wasn’t on the schedule, but NBA star and Olympic gold medal winner Stephen Curry just popped up on the big screens at the DNC to lend his support to Harris’ campaign.
Welcomed by big cheers from the thousands packed into the United Center for the convention’s closing night, Curry said his amped-up feeling of patriotism during the recent Olympics drove home for him that “Kamala Harris as president will bring that unity back.”
Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, who said last month that he supported Harris, closed by saying, “The Oval Office would suit her well. In the words of Michelle Obama, do something. Go vote.”
Earlier this week, Curry’s Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr took the DNC stage to endorse Harris as well.
Rep. Colin Allred draws contrast between ‘me’ and ‘we’
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who is campaigning to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, talked about how the Republican senator and others in the party are “me guys.”
“Guys who talk a big game and only care about themselves,” he said. “But you know what has stuck with, is that America has never been about ‘me.’”
He added, “President Obama said I think the most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘we.’”
Rep. Maxwell Frost: ‘Our patriotism is more than some slogan on a hat’
Rep. Maxwell Frost, the youngest and first Gen Z member of Congress, used his convention speech to talk about climate change.
“This election is about every drop of water that we consume and every breath we breathe,” Frost said. “Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic.”
He added, “And unlike Trump, our patriotism is more than some slogan on a hat.”
It’s a major issue for a lot of young voters, but climate change hasn’t been a dominant theme at this week’s convention. Several speakers and prepackaged videos played throughout the arena have aimed to make the case for preserving resources for future generations.
Members of the Central Park Five take the stage
Rev. Al Sharpton was joined onstage by members of the Central Park Five — five men who were falsely accused of beating and raping a woman in a New York park when they were youths in the late ’80s. Antron McCray is the only member of the group not on stage.
At the time they were accused, Donald Trump took out ads in four New York newspapers calling for the state to reinstate the death penalty.
The boys were charged and convicted — and later exonerated after serving time in prison. But the ads paid for by Trump drew a lot of attention and helped build his celebrity.
“Our youth was stolen from us,” said Korey Wise, who blamed Trump for some of the harsh treatment they received from the public. “He spent $85,000 on an ad ... calling for my execution.”
Rep. Elissa Slotkin says Trump will take the US ‘backward’
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, used her convention speech to bring light to what a second Trump presidency would mean for America on the global stage.
“Trump wants to take us backward,” she said. “He admires dictators ... a lot. He treats our friends as adversaries and our adversaries as friends.”
She also tried to bridge her state’s fierce sports rivalries as she called on its voters to support Harris.
Slotkin saluted the college football champion Michigan Wolverines, shouting“Go Blue!” But then she added, “Go Green!” a reference to one of Michigan’s top rivals, Michigan State.
The oversized 'Project 2025' book is back
A large, bound copy of the roughly 900-page “Project 2025” that Democrats have used all week as a prop at their convention made a return appearance for the final night.
Democrats have used the plan as a way to attack Trump and his policies.
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado brought the oversized book on stage and said that Project 2025 would abandon U.S. troops, alleys and values. He said the plan endorses turning away from support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and calls for personnel changes of top military leaders.
Elizabeth Warren gets a standing ovation
As she was welcomed to the stage Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts received a standing ovation.
After wiping a tear from her face, Warren, who competed against Harris when they each unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic party's nomination in the 2020 election cycle, spoke about her experience working with Harris when she was California's attorney general. At the time, Warren was working to set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“Kamala Harris can’t be bought and she can’t be bossed around,” Warren said about her former Democratic rival. The two women served in the Senate together.
Pennsylvania senator takes aim at ‘greedflation’
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is running to be reelected to his seat representing Pennsylvania, discussed “shrinkflation,” which he, Harris and President Joe Biden have talked about this election cycle.
Casey, in February, introduced legislation to “crack down” on big corporations “shrinking products without reducing prices.”
"Most companies are good companies. It's the food conglomerates that sit behind the supermarkets. The faceless wholesalers, they're the ones who are extorting families at the checkout counter. This is greedflation. I've been fighting it a long time. So is Kamala Harris. And finally, we're starting to win."
Biden, on more than one occasion, has endorsed the bill in public.
Congressman makes AI crowd-size joke
With artificial intelligence continuing to be a popular topic — and with former President Donald Trump frequently commenting on and comparing crowd sizes, a U.S. congressman who spoke on Thursday made a joke about AI and the crowd.
“As a computer science major, I am so impressed with how large this AI-generated crowd looks tonight,” U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said as he was met with laughter from the crowd.
Lieu, of California, then talked about his experience working with Harris during the 2008 recession and housing crisis.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks on the importance of Social Security and Medicare
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin rallied convention delegates with calls to protect entitlements for older Americans.
Baldwin, who is up for reelection this cycle, spoke as members of her home state delegation chanted “Tammy! Tammy!”
She told of her mother being a teenager who struggled with addiction when she was born, and of having never met her father. Baldwin was raised by her grandparents, she said, and, as they aged, she saw the importance of Social Security and Medicare.
Baldwin said Trump has suggested both programs could be cut but “we won’t let that happen.”
“We Democrats, we honor our elders and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share,” she said.
It’s a packed house in advance of Harris’ arrival
Unlike some of the other nights of this DNC, just about every single seat appears to be filled in the United Center as programming kicks off.
Long security lines have meant that delegates and guests had a hard time getting inside the arena. But as early as 2 p.m., delegates were already streaming toward the facility in which Harris will later accept the presidential nomination. Now, as the first speakers take the stage, they’re in their seats, with many wearing blinking or sparkly accessories like flashing blue hats for Illinois delegates, and foam cheese heads for Wisconsin delegates.
Sen. Alex Padilla says Harris and Walz will ‘defend the dream’
California Sen. Alex Padilla, who was sworn in to fill Kamala Harris’ Senate seat in 2021 after she became vice president, talked about how both he and Harris are a product of the American dream, coming from immigrant households and ascending to the highest levels of public office.
“My question to you is this: This November, who is ready to defend the dream?” Padilla asked convention goers. “Tim Walz is ready to defend the dream. Kamala Harris is ready to defend the dream.”
Teacher union leaders back the Harris-Walz ticket
No surprise that teachers’ unions are backing the Harris-Walz ticket — the vice presidential candidate is a former social studies teacher himself. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, tried to school delegates on Republican plans such as eliminating the Department of Education.
“We are coming together to say not on our watch,” Pringle said.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, went a bit deeper by talking about the idea of the social contract, a concept that originated with the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. She said teachers know that actions are often more important than words.
“My students taught me you’ve got to walk the walk,” she said.
Female delegates are wearing white to honor women’s suffrage on the night of Harris’ speech
If you think you’re seeing a lot of women wearing white tonight, you don’t need to adjust your television set.
There appeared to be a coordinated effort among female delegates and Democratic supporters as they arrived at the United Center on Thursday afternoon, with security lines and convention floor seats filling up with women clad in white suits, dresses and other attire.
When Harris takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.
The homage is a couture callback to other momentous political events in which women wearing white have played a role, particularly for other glass ceiling moments.
Video highlights Harris’ life, professional achievements
A video, which is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, played at the DNC. It focused on Harris’ life, from childhood through the current day.
The video featured childhood friends, as well as family members and people Harris has worked with in her many roles over the years. Harris, prior to becoming President Joe Biden’s vice president, was a U.S. Senator, California’s attorney general, and a prosecutor before that.
The final night of the DNC is underway
Convention chairwoman Minyon Moore and Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, took the stage to welcome the delegates for the last session.
Thursday night’s program is packed with members of Congress and other Democratic leaders and will conclude with Vice President Harris formally accepting her party’s nomination.
The arena is also buzzing about the possibility of a secret special guest making an appearance. But, so far at least, the secret is holding and who the guest might be — if it’s actually anyone at all — remains a mystery.
Day 4 of the DNC has begun
The fourth and final night of the convention has officially been gaveled in.
Day 4 speakers and performers
- Chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Minyon Moore
- U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas
- National President of the American Federation of Government Employees Everett Kelly
- Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem of Masjidullah Mosque of West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania
- Luna Maring, 6th Grader from Oakland, California (Pledge of Allegiance)
- President of the National Education Association Becky Pringle and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten
- U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California
- Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia L. Fudge
- U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu of California
- U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts
- U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse of Colorado
- Mayor Leonardo Williams of Durham, North Carolina
- U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois
- U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado
- U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
- U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York
- The Rev. Al Sharpton
- Representatives of “the Central Park Five”
- Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam of New York City
- Activist Korey Wise
- Activist Raymond Santana
- Activist Kevin Richardson
- Former prosecutor and friend of Vice President Harris Amy Resner
- Director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Karrie Delaney
- Former Attorney General of Illinois Lisa Madigan
- President of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial
- Former student at Corinthian Colleges Nathan Hornes
- Former New York State Assistant Attorney General Tristan Snell
- Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts
- Youth organizer and human trafficking survivor Courtney Baldwin
- Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland
- Content creator John Russell
- U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida
- U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Texas
- Anya Cook of Florida
- Craig Sicknick of New Jersey
- Gail DeVore of Colorado
- Juanny Romero of Nevada
- Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts of North Carolina
- The Chicks (National Anthem)
- Actress Kerry Washington (host)
- Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff and Helena Hudlin
- Comedian and actor D.L. Hughley
- Sheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, Michigan
- A Conversation on Gun Violence with U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia and joined by Abbey Clements of Connecticut, Kim Rubio of Texas, Melody McFadden of South Carolina, Edgar Vilchez of Illinois
- Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona
- P!NK (performance)
- U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Former United States Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta
- U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
- Eva Longoria
- Former Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
- Maya Harris
- Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina
- Vice President Kamala Harris
