Democrats open their convention transformed by Harris but facing lingering questions

CHICAGO — A refreshed Democratic Party will take a look back while it moves forward as its convention opens Monday night, with President Joe Biden preparing a valedictory speech and delegates reveling in the newfound energy that followed Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ rise to the top of the ticket.
The national convention unfolding in Chicago this week holds particularly high stakes for Democrats. The party must finalize the unprecedented mid-campaign handoff from Biden to Harris and reintroduce the vice president to a divided country that’s still making up its mind about her.
If successful, Democrats will slingshot Harris toward an election faceoff with Republican Donald Trump, whose comeback bid for the White House is viewed by the party as an existential threat to American principles. But a false step could hobble Harris at a moment when her candidacy has been enjoying a burst of money, momentum and even joy.
At a breakfast hosted by the Florida delegation, a party volunteer pulled out a suitcase and began to hand out replicas of Biden’s famous aviator sunglasses.
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“Joe Biden made a selfless, heroic decision, and it’ll be awesome to celebrate him tonight,” Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida said. “And then we’re going to look to the future and pivot.”
Despite the warm feelings toward Biden, whose presidency has been marked by a string of legislative successes on climate change and infrastructure that Democrats say they will outline during Monday night’s prime-time programming, there was palpable relief that the 81-year-old president bowed out of seeking a second term.
Delegates dressed head to toe in merchandise celebrating Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Some wore the vice president’s face on their scarves or her slogans on graphic tees.
A new generation of Democratic leaders, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, spoke about the new “infusion” of energy at various delegation breakfasts.
Walz appeared at a breakfast for the Wisconsin delegation Monday, promising to cheers that he and Harris would hustle through the race’s remaining weeks. Meanwhile, the governors of Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hopped from one delegate breakfast to another, attracting crowds of Democrats vying for selfies and handshakes.
Just beneath the surface, real questions loom about the depth of Harris’ newfound support, the breadth of her coalition and the strength of her movement. Not even a month ago, Democrats were deeply divided over foreign policy, political strategy and Biden himself, who was holding on after a disastrous debate by claiming he had a better chance than any other Democrat — including Harris — of beating Trump.
Far from the tone of most party conventions, this week’s event will give many Americans their first extended look at Harris and Walz. How the Democrats present them will be critical, especially with Trump launching a weeklong effort to cut into their message.
A potential distraction from the positivity of the convention will be thousands of protesters descending on Chicago to decry the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Harris’ allies hope the pro-Palestinian protesters will not overshadow the official program, which features a slate of current and former Democratic stars, plus what organizers describe as “everyday people.”
Among the speakers: United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain; Hillary Clinton; Reps. Grace Meng, Jamie Raskin and Jasmine Crockett of Dallas; Sens. Chris Coons and Raphael Warnock; and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Much of the opening night programing will focus on Biden’s record during his time in the White House.
“I think it’s important for him to answer those age-old questions: What have you done for me lately and why bother to go out and vote?” said former Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Biden adviser.
Part of introducing Harris and Walz will be first giving a graceful exit to the 81-year-old incumbent president, who is slated to deliver the keynote address Monday.
The Democratic Party probably would have been in a far worse state if Biden had continued to cling to the nomination. He faced growing concerns about his mental and physical acuity after struggling to complete sentences at his Trump debate.
By deciding to step aside and endorse Harris, Biden will instead receive a hero’s welcome in his final turn in the spotlight 52 years after being elected to the Senate from Delaware.
Trump has tried to inflame tensions over Biden’s exit. He called Biden’s Monday speaking slot “convention death valley,” suggesting that the president would get lower ratings than speakers on other nights. And as he has for weeks, Trump described the convention itself as “rigged” because it was Biden, not Harris, who won 14 million primary votes and collected delegates state by state.
“She got no votes,” Trump said.
The convention will lean into the party’s potential to make history. Harris hopes to be the first woman, first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to reach the Oval Office.
“I wasn’t sure I would see this particular moment in my lifetime, to see a Black woman who is now on the cusp of becoming our next president,” said Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, one of the nation’s highest-ranking Black female elected officials.
“I remember back in 2016 when we touched the glass ceiling, and the reaction of Republicans was just to start destroying the rights that got us there,” Stratton said. “This is another chance.”
Harris will aim to use the convention to take a share of credit for what she and Biden accomplished while also trying to show that she recognizes voters want more. Heading into Chicago, she unveiled the initial planks of her policy platform focused on addressing the bite of inflation and the cost of food, housing and childcare.
Democrats will keep abortion access front and center for voters, betting that the issue will help propel them to success as it has in other key races since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade two years ago.
Every living Democratic president and first lady will appear this week, except for the ailing Jimmy Carter, along with a long list of federal, state and local officials and activists.
It’s set to be a contrast to last month’s GOP convention in Milwaukee, where former President George W. Bush and former vice president Mike Pence, among other well-known Republicans, stayed away from the event given Trump’s antipathy toward them.
Expected to speak this week is former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a Republican who investigated Trump’s actions around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and has endorsed Harris.
With precious few days remaining before early voting begins in some places, polls show a close race nationally and in battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump still has advantages on how Americans view the two of them on core issues like the economy and immigration.
Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and longtime operative who will attend his 13th Democratic convention this week, warned the euphoria Democrats have about Harris’ ascension could obscure the true state of the campaign.
The former president is not ceding this week to Democrats. He will go to a different swing state each day — starting with Pennsylvania, followed by Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada by week’s end.
Trump’s campaign has also dispatched high-profile allies to Chicago to host daily news conferences. The lineup includes Florida Sen. Rick Scott, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.
“We have four days of messaging that the country will get to look at Kamala Harris, get to look at Tim Walz. We’ll get to look at their agenda, what they stand for, who we are,” McAuliffe said. “It’s going to be a close election. That’s just where our country is today.”
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By STEVE PEOPLES, ZEKE MILLER and BILL BARROW, The Associated Press