CHICAGO – Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, will speak on the second day of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, shifting the focus to the vice president and her showdown with Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The focus on the final 76 days of the presidential campaign follows an opening night that was designed as a salute to President Biden, who was hailed by delegates as a hero for withdrawing from the race, to give Ms. Harris the opportunity to run.
Speaking clearly and with energy, President Biden took the opportunity to defend his record of accomplishments, defend the vice president and criticize former President Trump. His speech restored the image of Joe Biden who won the 2020 election, in contrast to his poor performance during the debate with former President Trump in June, which also caused his withdrawal from re-election.
In his speech, President Biden reiterated the 2020 theme, that “we are in a battle for the very soul of America,” and offered the opportunity to present Ms. Harris and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz as the best prepared to run in the election. of this year.
“Thanks to you, we had the most extraordinary four years of progress,” President Biden declared. He added that “when I say we, I'm talking about me and Kamala”, thus sharing his most popular achievements with the vice-president, to whom he also inherited the electoral structures set up by him.
Vice President Harris made an unannounced appearance at the convention on Monday to thank President Biden for his leadership. Afterwards, she joined him on stage, where they talked and hugged.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for a lifetime of service to our country, and for all that you will continue to do,” Ms. Harris said. “To be forever grateful”.
The first day's proceedings were at least an hour late and many of the speakers who were scheduled to speak were forced not to speak, such as musician James Taylor. Organizers said the reason for the delays was prolonged applause for the speakers.
Vice President Harris will travel to Milwaukee on Tuesday to attend a rally in the swing state of Wisconsin. In the evening, she will return to Chicago.
Ms Harris' campaign team said on Tuesday it would highlight “trusted message carriers” during the remaining three days of the convention. Among them are Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada; Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Gary Peters and Michigan Legislator Elissa Slotkin; Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. From the state of Arizona, Senator Mark Kelly and John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, will take the floor.
Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina will be the final speaker before Ms. Harris accepts the nomination as the official Democratic presidential nominee on Thursday.
