Just weeks ago, Democrats were dreading their convention in Chicago. Now, Vice President Kamala Harris has them completely happy.
Harris’ last-minute campaign is heading into the Democratic National Convention, erasing former President Donald Trump’s lead in nearly every state that will decide the election.
“Even I thought she was going to be an underdog, less than Biden,” Nate Silver recently told Business Insider. “Now I think you’d probably prefer to be in her position.”
Trump is now the desperate one, renewing old feuds with fellow Republicans and losing the script to attack Harris’ race and fuel baseless conspiracy theories. After indulging in the Democrats’ mess around President Joe Biden, Trump is now facing a host of allies who are begging him to stay on message.
The Trump campaign tried to downplay the moment from the start, predicting that Harris’ “honeymoon” would not last. But as Democrats gather at the United Center in Chicago, they are positioned to seize the remaining days in August. Harris’ momentum could carry him through the traditional home stretch that begins on Labor Day.
“What you’ve seen is a party that across the board — some of the moderate Democrats, more conservative, progressive Democrats — have all rallied around this ticket and will show support at the convention,” said Amy Dacey, a former CEO. . of the Democratic National Committee, who is now executive director of the Sine Institute of Politics and Policy at American University.
However, it may not be a coronation. Protesters have vowed to make the White House’s handling of the war in Gaza a backdrop to the convention. While a scene outside the 1968 convention is unlikely, there is a reason why Democrats have long feared returning to the Windy City for the first time since the turmoil over the Vietnam War.
Harris has shown that he values ​​party unity. In selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, she followed the first rule of vice presidential elections: do no wrong. The last thing she or her allies want is the party in disarray to get back to the top.
The Democrats’ best hope is that their four-day spectacle reinforces a positive image of Harris. Once one of the least popular vice presidents, polls show Harris’ popularity has risen. But as Nate Cohn of The New York Times warned, the vice president’s rapid rise shows that her image is still being formed.
No amount of change in the atmosphere can overshadow the lingering resentment over Gaza.
Although Democrats hope to use the convention to project unity, planned demonstrations inside and outside the United Center threaten to tarnish the image of consensus. Organizers said they expect up to 40,000 people to join a march protesting the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war, Semaphore reported. The protests are not expected to affect the convention itself, but confrontations on the streets of Chicago could overshadow the event.
Israel’s war in Gaza has emerged as a key campaign issue, with some voters threatening to cast protest ballots or stay away from polling stations. The movement among Democratic activists has its roots in Michigan, where more than 101,000 people voted “abstain” during the March primary to protest Biden’s actions in the war.
Compared to her current boss, Harris has taken a different tone when discussing the war, now in her 11th month. She has put more emphasis on the plight of the Palestinians and called for an immediate ceasefire. Activists are generally more enthusiastic about her candidacy than Biden’s, especially with the addition of Walz.
“This change in the candidates with Harris and Walz opens our opportunity, opens a window for us to be heard. We’ve seen Vice President Kamala Harris be a little more empathetic and sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians,” said Layla Elabed, one. by the founders of the Non-Aligned protest movement in Michigan.
However, Harris’ exact policy agenda regarding Israel remains unclear, and many activists still harbor significant doubts. When asked if she plans to vote for Harris, Elabed told Business Insider that she’s still waiting to see if the vice president will “turn a page from Biden’s current policies.”
Organizers expect tens of thousands of people to take to the streets outside the convention center, the Washington Post reported. They are embroiled in court battles with the city of Chicago over specific demonstration routes and how close protesters can get to the United Center. As of Aug. 11, the city had sanctioned a 1.1-mile route, which will begin in Union Park.
Some fear the protests could turn violent, which poses obstacles for DNC organizers.
“It’s logistics, it’s finance and security. Those are the three main issues,” said Dacey, who participated in site selection and negotiations with the city of Philadelphia ahead of the 2016 convention. “Security is a top priority, especially because you have so many leaders coming to speak.”
Security measures, however, could not stop about 30 delegates representing unaffiliated voters from making complaints from inside the building. Nonaligned delegates are demanding a private meeting with Harris, an arms embargo on Israel and changes to the party’s foreign policy that distance Israel.
To draw attention to their cause, nonaligned delegates are planning press conferences, vigils and literature distribution, among other efforts. They represent states across the country, with Minnesota having the most delegates at 11.
While the protests don’t threaten Harris’ status as the nominee — she officially secured the nomination during a virtual roll call with the support of 99% of delegates — they pose an important optical issue at a time when the Democratic Party is celebrating its ability to coalesce around the ticket. cloud.