(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris is anticipated to take the stage Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention to accept the party’s presidential nomination.
This comes a day after former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke to a charged convention crowd about Harris’ credibility, urging voters to stay away from former President Donald Trump.
On the street outside the United Center in Chicago, a group of uncommitted delegates organized a sit-in, saying they would stay put until a Palestinian speaks at the convention.
‘For our future’
The DNC will kick off its fourth and final night Thursday, which has a theme of “For Our Future,” according to convention organizers.
Only weeks ago, the Democratic Party was wracked by debates over whether President Joe Biden should step aside as the party’s nominee and over the party’s general message and values ahead of the 2024 election. In the weeks since Biden decided to withdraw from the race, however, left-of-center politics has coalesced around Harris in an unprecedented switch at the top of the party ticket.
While Harris’ candidacy has unleashed a high level of enthusiasm and determination among Democrats, she is still defining her policy priorities and the ideological direction she will take the party. Last Friday, she unveiled her first major policy goal when she announced a raft of economic policies meant to lower the cost of living for working- and middle-class Americans.
Harris to accept presidential nomination
It has been a week of celebrities and former presidents praising Harris for her tenacity, experience and commitment to justice.
Now, Harris will have the opportunity to show herself to the American people, closing out the DNC when she accepts her party’s historic presidential nomination.
She will lay out her vision for the country and prosecute her case against former President Donald Trump, capping a whirlwind month that began when Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her.
Harris has three objectives for her speech, according to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive speech preparations. She’ll share her background rising from a middle-class family to protect others as a prosecutor, contrast her “optimistic” vision with Trump’s “dark” agenda and evoke a sense of patriotism, the official said.
Harris spoke briefly to the convention Monday, when she thanked Biden and celebrated his record as president, and again Tuesday, when the beginning of her rally in Milwaukee was streamed into the convention hall after Democrats reaffirmed their nomination of her with a state-by-state roll call.
Harris will be the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to accept a major party’s presidential nomination. She’ll speak a day after Walz, her running mate, thanked the packed Chicago arena for “bringing the joy” to the election.
Who else is speaking Thursday?
Among others who will speak Thursday are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The singer Pink will also perform.
More details on the schedule are expected to be released at a 9 a.m. CDT news conference with a full schedule later Thursday.
Harris leading Trump in polls
Just one month after Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Harris took his place as the nominee, the Democratic presidential hopeful continues to lead her Republican opponent in the polls.
According to the latest national polling average from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Harris leads Trump 49.4% to 46.4%.
Keeping an eye on protests
Pro-Palestinian protests continued Wednesday on the third day of the DNC with a group of delegates staging a sit-in outside of the United Center in Chicago.
The small group of “uncommitted” delegates demanded that a Palestinian speaker be allowed to address the crowd from the convention’s main stage. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., eventually joined their protest.
The sit-in started after families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza spoke during Wednesday’s program, pushing for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
No Palestinian Americans have been allowed to speak, leading some, including Democratic lawmakers, to accuse party leaders of stifling Palestinian voices.
Whether that message landed with other delegates remains unclear, as people leaving the convention appeared to ignore the protests leaving the United Center.
Another large march is set for Thursday, starting at Chicago’s Union Park, less than a mile from the United Center where the DNC is taking place. It’s expected to be the biggest protest surrounding the DNC this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
