By STEVE PEOPLES, ZEKE MILLER and BILL BARROW
CHICAGO (AP) — A renewed Democratic Party is presenting itself to a divided nation this week, transformed by the cash, momentum, relief and even joy that followed the vice chairman Kamala Harris ' is at the highest of the list.
The whirlwind of the past month culminates in a convention that begins Monday in Chicago. The four-day gathering of hundreds of activists and party leaders from across the country is primarily intended to have fun and strengthen Harris as president. Joe Biden's Replacement and strengthen their campaign to defeat the Republicans Donald Trump in November.
Beneath the surface, real questions are emerging about how much Harris' newfound support is, how large her coalition is and the way strong her movement is. Less than a month ago, Democrats were deeply divided on foreign policy, political strategy and Biden himselfthe hold onto after his disastrous debate by suggesting that he had a greater likelihood than every other Democrat – including Harris – of beating Trump.
Far from the formality that many modern party conventions have turn into, this week's event will probably be the primary time many Americans have seen Harris and her recent running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in depth. How Democrats present Harris and Walz will probably be crucial, especially given Trump's week of attempting to undermine their message.
A possible distraction will probably be Thousands of progressive demonstrators who’re expected to return to Chicago to denounce the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Harris' allies hope the pro-Palestinian protesters is not going to overshadow the official program, which incorporates a roster of current and former Democratic stars.
“Democrats enter this convention full of enthusiasm, excitement and unity,” said considered one of those stars, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Who was a finalist? Harris' running mate. “And it's critical that we continue to pursue the case against Donald Trump and the chaos he would wreak – and leave the convention even more united, even more excited, even more enthusiastic for the final 75 or so days of this campaign.”
Shapiro said he welcomes protesters in the course of the convention – “provided the protest is peaceful, provided the protest follows the rules of the community.”
Biden will probably be sworn in on Monday
Part of Harris and Walz's vision will probably be to make sure the 81-year-old incumbent president has a dignified exit. will give the keynote speech Monday.
The Democratic Party would probably have been in a much worse situation if Biden had continued to carry on to the nomination. growing concerns about his mental and physical condition after I had difficulty forming complete sentences in the course of the debate.
By deciding to step down and endorse Harris, the 81-year-old president will as a substitute receive a hero's welcome in his final appearance within the highlight, 52 years after being elected to the Senate for Delaware.
Biden plans to endorse Harris at length and criticize Trump sharply before leaving Chicago, clearing the way in which for the show to give attention to the vice chairman he appointed 4 years ago.
Trump has sought to stoke tensions over Biden's exit, calling Biden's speaking time on Monday the “Death Valley of the convention,” suggesting the president would worsen rankings than speakers on other nights. And as he has done for weeks, Trump called the convention itself “rigged” since it was Biden, not Harris, who won 14 million votes within the primaries and picked up delegates state by state.
“She didn’t get any votes,” Trump said.
A give attention to Harris' premieres – and an open hand for the Republicans
The Convention will address the The party’s potential to make historyHarris is vying to be the primary woman, the primary black woman and the primary person of South Asian descent to achieve the Oval Office.
“I wasn't sure I would live to see this special moment in my life, to see a black woman now on the verge of becoming our next president,” said Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, considered one of the highest-ranking black elected officials within the country.
Stratton recalled Hillary Clinton's defeat to Trump eight years ago, when she lost in key electoral fields despite leading the vast majority of voters nationwide.
“I remember in 2016 when we hit the glass ceiling and Republicans responded by starting to destroy the rights that got us there,” Stratton said. “This is a new opportunity.”
Harris will use the convention to get a number of the credit for what she and Biden have completed, while also showing that she recognizes that voters want more. On the option to Chicago, she’s going to revealed the primary points of her political program The focus was on tackling inflation and the prices of food, housing and childcare.
The Democrats will Access to abortion in focus for voters who’re betting that this issue will help them win, because it has in other major elections for the reason that Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.
This week, every living Democratic president and first lady except the ailing Jimmy Carter will appear, together with an extended list of federal, state and native officials and activists.
This could also be a contrast to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, where former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Mike Pence, amongst other well-known Republicans, stayed away due to Trump's antipathy toward them.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who investigated Trump's actions in reference to the Jan. 6 Capitol rebellion and supports Harris, is predicted to talk this week.
The presidential race continues to be very exciting
With early voting starting in some states in September, recent polls suggest a neck-and-neck race nationally and in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. And polls show that Trump still holds the advantage in Americans' perceptions over the 2 on key issues just like the economy and immigration.
Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and longtime official who’s attending his thirteenth Democratic convention this week, warned that Democrats' euphoria over Harris' rise could obscure the true state of the campaign.
He noted that the Republican convention in Milwaukee was a real coronation for Trump, with Democrats consumed by fear and uncertainty. Now Trump appears to be reeling as he searches for the appropriate message to stop Harris' rise.
The lesson, McAuliffe said, is to never assume that a race is already decided. You must at all times keep in mind that the end result depends upon getting 270 Electoral College votes in the appropriate swing states.
The former president is not going to leave it to the Democrats this week. Each day he’ll visit a unique swing state – starting with Pennsylvania, followed by Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada by the tip of the week.
Trump's campaign has also sent high-level allies to Chicago to carry every day press conferences, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida.
“We have four days to get the message across to the country that we're going to see Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. We're going to see their agenda, what they stand for, who we are,” McAuliffe said. “It's going to be a close election. That's where our country stands today.”
Whatever happens this week, each side will probably be watching with bated breath as Harris writes a brand new chapter in an election campaign that’s already unprecedented.
Barrow reported from Atlanta. AP author Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
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