The Democratic Party’s national nominating convention begins in Chicago next week, and the party’s leading figures will be in the spotlight.
President Biden, former Presidents Obama and Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, have been confirmed as speakers at the Democratic National Convention, a source familiar with the convention planning confirmed to Fox News.
A largely unified and energized Democratic Party will meet Aug. 19-22 inside the United Center arena on Chicago’s West Side, but outside the security perimeter there will be scenes of anger and opposition as demonstrators plan to take to the streets to protest against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel in its nearly 11-month war with Hamas in Gaza.
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Former Presidents Clinton (right), Obama (left), and Biden rally for a major fundraiser for the Democratic 2024 presidential candidates at Radio City Music Hall on March 28, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images)
The Democratic convention comes about a month after the president’s shock announcement on July 21 that he was not seeking reelection and would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris following his disastrous loss to Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in a debate in late June.
Biden’s disjointed and incoherent answers during the debate raised questions about whether the 81-year-old president has the physical and mental strength to serve another four years in the White House and prompted calls from within his own party for him to drop out of the 2024 campaign.
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Democrats, desperate to block Trump’s return to the White House, have quickly rallied around Harris, who was formally nominated by her party in a virtual roll call last week.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, appeared onstage together at a campaign event in Philadelphia on August 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Harris has seen a surge in fundraising since replacing Biden as the top 2024 Democratic candidate three weeks ago, raising more than double what Trump raised last month in July, and her fundraising surge has been even more dramatic since she named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate a week ago.
The vice president and Walz immediately began campaigning, traveling to key battleground states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada, drawing large audiences at each stop.
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Both Harris and Waltz have been formally nominated, but convention organizers say a ceremonial roll call will take place in Chicago next week. The vice president and the Minnesota governor are both scheduled to address the convention in nationally televised speeches on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
Party officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of the 1968 Chicago convention, when Democrats were divided over the Vietnam War and delegates fought and protesters were quelled with tear gas and batons.
Activists take part in a pro-Palestinian protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on July 24, 2024. Activists have held multiple protests near the Capitol to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and to protest the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Democrats are divided over how the US should respond to the soaring Palestinian death toll in the war between Israel and Hamas, while political commentators say comparisons to the 1968 turmoil are unfair.
but, Coalition marches ahead of Democratic National ConventionAn umbrella group of left-leaning organizations helping organize the planned protests said in a social media post on Sunday that Democratic officials “are underestimating our anger, our tenacity and our unwavering commitment to the precious lives of every Palestinian person enduring this horrific genocide. We are fighting back.”
Protesters are locked in a fierce battle with Chicago officials over where they are allowed to march during the convention. Activists say they want a longer route that could accommodate tens of thousands of protesters. A federal judge overseeing the dispute between protesters and Chicago officials has yet to rule.
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